Ed Carpenter Racing PR

RACE PREVIEW – Streets of Detroit

Posted on by Steve Wittich

Source: Team PR

CHEVROLET DETROIT GRAND PRIX PREVIEW

FRIDAY, MAY 31 – SUNDAY, JUNE 2, 2024

EVENT: Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix

TRACK: Streets of Downtown Detroit

LOCATION: Detroit, Michigan, USA

TRACK LAYOUT: 1.645-mile, nine-turn street circuit

RACE LENGTH: 100 Laps

PRACTICE: Friday – 3-4:15 p.m. ET (Peacock),

Saturday – 9:10-10:10 a.m. ET (Peacock)

Sunday – 9:30-10 a.m. ET (Peacock) 

QUALIFYING: Saturday – 12:15-1:45 p.m. ET (Peacock)

RACE: Sunday – 12:30 p.m. ET (USA Network, 12 p.m. ET)

CHRISTIAN RASMUSSEN, NO. 20 GUYCARE CHEVROLET

CHRISTIAN RASMUSSEN, No. 20 GuyCare Chevrolet: “I can’t wait to get back to Detroit! I think it will be super special, especially as a Team Chevy driver. It was an event I really enjoyed last year running in INDY NXT. I’m looking to build on the momentum we have from the pace we’ve shown in our previous races and the Top 12 result we secured at the Indianapolis 500.”

OF NOTE:

  • Christian Rasmussen will return to the No. 20 GuyCare Chevrolet this weekend after an outstanding performance in last Sunday’s Indianapolis 500. Rasmussen competed in ECR’s third entry, the No. 33, and finished 12th. He drove an excellent race and earned the distinction of being the highest finishing rookie in the field. He ran in the Top 10 for a majority of the 500 miles, including leading the race in his first attempt. 
  • Rasmussen joined Ed Carpenter Racing after winning the 2023 INDY NXT championship. Now 23 years old, he was only nine when he claimed his first karting championship in Denmark. Rasmussen arrived in the United States in 2018 and began his road to INDYCAR the following year. He is only the second driver in history earn a championship in each open-wheel junior category that currently feeds the NTT INDYCAR SERIES – USF2000 (2020), USF Pro 2000 (2021) and INDY NXT (2023). 
  • The No. 20 Chevrolet will compete in the colors of GuyCare for the entirety of the 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season. GuyCare clinics provide discreet and confidential care, ensuring men’s health and well-being through proven therapeutic interventions and wellness programs. After successfully opening their first clinic in Salt Lake City, GuyCare is now expanding its service offerings nationwide through the launch of a Telemedicine program. Additional clinics will open in select NTT INDYCAR SERIES race markets throughout the 2024 season.

RINUS VEEKAY, NO. 21 CHEVROLET

RINUS VEEKAY, No. 21 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet: “Detroit is going to be fun! Definitely going to be a tired group of people throughout the whole series, but I think we are going to have a good weekend! It’s another opportunity for us to do well, we have a good street course package. With the track changes that have happened since last year, it should be a good race. And driving around the Chevrolet headquarters is always a plus! I am looking forward to it and going for a great result!”

OF NOTE:

  • Rinus VeeKay’s 2024 Month of May included not one, but two comeback stories. After a crash in his first Indianapolis 500 qualifying run, his No. 21 crew repaired the car in record time and had VeeKay back in the qualifying line in four hours. He rewarded their hard work with a time good enough to advance to the second day, then earned the 7th starting position. During last Sunday’s race, he was running solidly in the Top 10 when he received a penalty that sent him to the back of the field. Undeterred, he raced back to the front and even led eight laps. At the end of 500 miles, he finished in the 9th position.
  • Born in Hoofddorp, Netherlands, Rinus van Kalmthout began karting in 2009 at the age of 8. With sights set firmly on the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, he transitioned to the Road to Indy in 2017 and launched his U.S. career driving as Rinus VeeKay. Now in his fifth season in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, VeeKay has stepped into a veteran role as ECR’s senior full-time driver. He has spent his entire career behind the wheel of the No. 21 Chevrolet and is the longest tenured full-time driver in the team’s history. 
  • The Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix returned to its roots in the downtown streets in 2023 and VeeKay joined the rest of the field in learning the new circuit. He missed advancing to the second round of qualifying by .0011 of a second and settled for the 14th starting position. With only four laps to go in the race, he was struck from behind by another competitor. As he fought to regain control of the car, he got into the marbles and lost momentum. He dropped from 12th to 18th, where he took the checkered flag.