IMS ROAD COURSE QUALIFYING NOTES
STARTING POSITIONS
9th: ALEXANDER ROSSI No. 20 Java House Chevrolet
19th: CHRISTIAN RASMUSSEN No. 21 Splenda Chevrolet
RACE: Sonsio Grand Prix
TRACK: Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course
LOCATION: Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
TRACK LAYOUT: 2.439-mile, 14-turn road course
RACE LENGTH: 85 Laps
RACE: Saturday – 4:30 p.m. ET (FOX)
ALEXANDER ROSSI, NO. 20 JAVA HOUSE CHEVROLET
ALEXANDER ROSSI, No. 20 Java House Chevrolet, Starting 9th: “We had a generally okay day, but just missed out on a little bit in round two of qualifying. The No. 20 Java House Chevrolet is a good car, so I know that we can go forward from 9th.”
BIRTHDAY: September 25, 1991
HOMETOWN: Nevada City, CA
RESIDENCE: Indianapolis, IN
IMS ROAD COURSE STATS
NUMBER OF STARTS: 14
TOP 5 FINISHES: 7
TOP 10 FINISHES: 11
BEST START: 2nd (July 2022)
BEST FINISH: 1st (July 2022)
CAREER STATS
SEASON: 10th
STARTS: 151
WINS: 8
POLES: 7
TOP 5 FINISHES: 50
TOP 10 FINISHES: 93
LAPS LED: 996
OF NOTE:
- Alexander Rossi turned Top 10 lap times in both practice sessions preceding qualifying at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course today, including setting the fastest lap of Group 2 in Practice 1. He continued to show the speed in the No. 20 Java House Chevrolet in qualifying, easily advancing the second round by turning the second-fastest lap of Round 1, Group 1. Rossi will start inside the Top 10 for the third time this season as he finished 9th in Round 2.
- Alexander Rossi is known for winning on the famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval, but has also had consistent success on IMS’s road course. Over the past nine years, Rossi has finished 11th or better in 12 of 14 races. Seven of those results have been Top 5 finishes, including a victory in the July 2022 edition of the race. Rossi is looking to continue a strong start to his first season with ECR, including three Top 10 finishes in his first four races with the team. He started sixth in the second race of the season at the Thermal Club, placing ECR in the Firestone Fast 6 for the first time since mid-2022.
- Java House made its on-track debut on Rossi’s No. 20 Chevrolet during his first test with ECR at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in October 2024. The innovative cold brew coffee brand will now serve as Rossi’s primary sponsor at select races throughout the 2025 season, including both races at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. In addition to its versatile Peel n Pour™ single serve beverages, Java House owns and operates cafes in the Indianapolis and Lafayette, IN markets.
CHRISTIAN RASMUSSEN, NO. 21 SPLENDA CHEVROLET
CHRISTIAN RASMUSSEN, No. 21 Splenda Chevrolet, Starting 19th: “That was a frustrating qualifying session. I didn’t maximize my lap as best I could. The lockup I had in practice was still on my mind a bit and I lost all of my time in Turn 7 alone. Everywhere else, it was pretty good! The No. 21 Splenda Chevrolet is strong, I just need to execute better in qualifying. The bright side is we still have two sets of new reds for the race and that will help us.”
BIRTHDAY: June 29, 2000
HOMETOWN:
Copenhagen, Denmark
RESIDENCE: Indianapolis, IN
IMS ROAD COURSE STATS
NUMBER OF STARTS: 1
BEST START: 20th (2024)
BEST FINISH: 20th (2024)
CAREER STATS
SEASON: 2nd
STARTS: 18
OF NOTE:
- The competitiveness of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES field was on full display today as Christian Rasmussen was a mere two-tenths of a second away from advancing in qualifying, but will start 19th in tomorrow’s Sonsio Grand Prix. The No. 21 Splenda Chevrolet crew worked hard to improve the car during the both practice sessions held earlier today. At the checkered flag of Round 1, Group 1 of qualifying, Rasmussen sat 7th. After all cars finished their final lap, he slipped down to 10th.
- The 2024 Sonsio Grand Prix was only the fourth race of then-rookie Christian Rasmussen’s NTT INDYCAR SERIES career and he will return in 2025 with invaluable experience. While working his way up to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, Rasmussen accumulated his own accolades at the IMS Road Course. While part of the USF Pro 2000 championship four years ago, Rasmussen won two of the three races contested at IMS. In four INDY NXT starts, he finished no lower than 6th.
- Splenda®, the most recognizable low-calorie sweetener brand in the world, will be featured on Rasmussen’s No. 21 Chevrolet at select races throughout the 2025 season, including the The Thermal Club INDYCAR Grand Prix. Since Splenda’s launch in 1991, more than 100 billion yellow packets have been sold. Coincidentally, Splenda’s packaging facility and ECR’s race shop are both on Georgetown Road in Indianapolis with locations less than one mile apart.