STREETS OF TORONTO PREVIEW
FRIDAY, JULY 18 – SUNDAY, JULY 20, 2025
EVENT: Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto
TRACK: Streets of Toronto
LOCATION: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
TRACK LAYOUT: 11-turn, 1.786-mile street circuit
RACE LENGTH: 90 Laps
PRACTICE: Friday – 3-4:40 p.m. ET (FS2)
Saturday – 10:30-11:30 a.m. ET (FS1)
Sunday – 8:30-9 a.m. ET (FS1)
QUALIFYING: Saturday – 2:30-4 p.m. ET (FS1)
RACE: Sunday – 12 p.m. ET (FOX)
ALEXANDER ROSSI, NO. 20 JAVA HOUSE CHEVROLET
ALEXANDER ROSSI, No. 20 Java House Chevrolet: “The Toronto circuit is one that is always a great mix of exciting and challenging. I am looking forward to competing there again after missing last year’s race. The fans really help make the event and it has a great atmosphere! We have had a challenging couple of weekends but we are ready to get back to fighting at the front.”
BIRTHDAY: September 25, 1991
HOMETOWN: Nevada City, CA
RESIDENCE: Indianapolis, IN
TORONTO STATS
NUMBER OF STARTS: 6
TOP 5 FINISHES: 2
TOP 10 FINISHES: 3
BEST START: 4th (2019,
2022)
BEST FINISH: 2nd (2017)
CAREER STATS
SEASON: 10th
STARTS: 159
WINS: 8
POLES: 7
TOP 5 FINISHES: 50
TOP 10 FINISHES: 94
OF NOTE:
- Alexander Rossi is ready to return to the streets of Toronto after being forced to sit out last year’s event with a hand injury. Half of his six previous starts in Toronto have resulted in Top 10 finishes, including a second place in 2017. He has recorded four Top 10 finishes so far this season, his first with ECR. Two of those came on street courses, including the most recent in Detroit. Earlier this season at The Thermal Club, Rossi placed an ECR car in the Firestone Fast 6 for the first time since mid-2022.
- Rossi is now in his 10th season as an NTT INDYCAR SERIES driver, made his 150th career start earlier this year in Long Beach and led the 1000th lap of his career in last month’s Indianapolis 500. Rossi, 33, has 30 career podium finishes, including eight victories, most notably the 2016 Indianapolis 500. The Nevada City, California native was the first American rookie to win since 1928. Rossi’s talent has taken him worldwide, with wins in F2, World Series by Renault, and the 24 Hours of Daytona along with starts in a Formula 1, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Baja 1000 and the Bathurst 1000.
- In addition to its versatile Peel n Pour™ single serve beverages, Java House owns and operates cafes in the Indianapolis and Lafayette, IN markets. The innovative cold brew coffee brand serves as the primary sponsor of Rossi’s No. 20 Chevrolet during select races throughout the 2025 season, including the streets of Toronto
CHRISTIAN RASMUSSEN, NO. 21 SPLENDA CHEVROLET
CHRISTIAN RASMUSSEN, No. 21 Splenda Chevrolet: “I’m really looking forward to racing this weekend in Toronto! We had two Top 10s last weekend, so there’s definitely some momentum on our side. Hopefully we can keep building on that and come away with another strong result.”
BIRTHDAY: June 29, 2000
HOMETOWN:
Copenhagen, Denmark
RESIDENCE: Indianapolis, IN
TORONTO STATS
NUMBER OF STARTS: 1
BEST START: 12th (2024)
BEST FINISH: 27th (2024)
CAREER STATS
SEASON: 2nd
STARTS: 26
TOP 5 FINISHES: 1
TOP 10 FINISHES: 5
OF NOTE:
- The Toronto street circuit holds a special meaning for Christian Rasmussen as he earned his first career Road to Indy win on the downtown course. In 2019, Rasmussen won the USF2000 race in Toronto. He returns for his second NTT INDYCAR SERIES race this year looking for redemption. In last year’s event, he turned in one of his best street course qualifying performances of the season and advanced to the second round. However, in Turn 1 of the very first lap, Rasmussen’s Chevrolet was struck in by another competitor. The contact pushed him into the wall, resulting in race-ending suspension damage.
- Rasmussen is riding a wave of momentum after a pair of Top 10 finishes last weekend in the Iowa Speedway doubleheader. In both Saturday and Sunday’s races, Rasmussen drove through the field to earn 6th and 8th place results. He has finished no worse than 8th in any of the four oval races this season, including a 3rd place after starting 25th at WWT Raceway. His podium came on the heels of a standout Indianapolis 500 where he led the first laps of his career and finished 6th. One week after the “500,” Rasmussen made his first Fast 12 qualifying appearance of the year in Detroit and led for 21 laps.
- Splenda®, the most recognizable low-calorie sweetener brand in the world, will be featured on Rasmussen’s No. 21 Chevrolet at select events throughout the 2025 season, including this weekend’s race in the streets of Toronto. Coincidentally, Splenda’s packaging facility and ECR’s race shop are both on Georgetown Road in Indianapolis with locations less than one mile apart. Since Splenda’s launch in 1991, more than 100 billion yellow packets have been sold.