"Put the team ahead of my own desires" - IndyCar veteran Ed Carpenter reveals selfless reason for major change at ECR

Ed Carpenter, who has been driving for his own IndyCar team, Ed Carpenter Racing since 2012, took the tough decision of competing in only the Indy 500 this year and no other race. The veteran driver has been competing part-time in the American series since 2014, only racing on ovals.

In 2024, Carpenter competed in four races, including the Indy 500, and couldn't finish higher than P17. This meant that ECR's rookie driver Christian Rasmussen had to sit out three of those four races (excluding the Indy 500) while his boss competed in the No. 20 Chevrolet.

Going into 2025, Ed Carpenter stepped back to an Indy 500-only schedule to make way for Rasmussen to compete full-time without any obstacles. In an interview with @IndyCarRadio posted on X, the 43-year-old explained his selfless decision.

"I mean it was just a feeling. You know it was similar to when I stopped doing road races after 2013. I've always said that I was going to put the team ahead of my own desires," he stated. "The simple way to put is, I think, that I still provide a lot of value at the Speedway and the (Indy) 500. But for a lot of the other stuff, is it related to... last year, I thought Christian (Rasmussen) was going to be able to do a better job than what I did than what I was doing, and the team needed my focus on other areas."

Ed Carpenter's results haven't been particularly flattering in this past decade of part-time participation as a driver. He recorded his last Top 5 finish at the 2021 Indy 500 and his last podium (a P2) at Gateway in 2019. Carpenter's last IndyCar victory came at the Texas Motor Speedway in 2014.

ECR goes into the 2025 IndyCar season with a new driver. 2016 Indy 500 winner Alexander Rossi has replaced Rinus Veekay and will pilot the No. 20 Chevy. Rasmussen will take the wheel of his former teammate's No. 21 car.

Ed Carpenter Racing rebrands the team with new owners and sponsors ahead of the 2025 IndyCar season

The 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500 - Source: Getty

ECR unveiled a fresh rebranding of the team's logo with new brand colors in January. This move came on the heels of the team onboarding a fourth owner - Ted Gelov, owner of Heartland Food Products Group, which owns Splenda and Java House Coffee, two Indiana-based companies.

ECR introduced a new color on its logo - named the 'Indiana Gold' - to reflect its strong Indiana roots. When the team unveiled its new liveries for the No. 20 and No. 21 cars of Alexander Rossi and Christian Rasmussen, sponsors Splenda and Java House Coffee were featured prominently on the car.

The Ed Carpenter-owned team looks set to transition to a higher position in the standings with Alexander Rossi's arrival and other key changes in the team's operations before the 2025 season. Moreover, IndyCar insider Bob Pockrass has predicted Rossi will win his second Indy 500 this year.