Christian Rasmussen Earns First INDYCAR Win, Spoils Alex Palou Quest For 10

It took a spectacular drive to finish a possible historic end to a sensational season.

Oh, Alex Palou continues to be the INDYCAR champion for 2025. However his quest to tie the sequence report of 10 victories in a season got here to an finish Sunday at The Milwaukee Mile when Christian Rasmussen, on brisker tires, handed him with 16 laps remaining to seize his first profession victory within the sequence.

“Good on Christian,” Palou mentioned. “He was actually quick. It is nice to see him win.”

Christian Rasmussen scores his first INDYCAR win at 2025 Milwaukee Mile.

It not solely was the primary profession win for the 2023 Indy NXT Collection champion (INDYCAR’s model of AAA-baseball), nevertheless it was additionally the primary win for Ed Carpenter Racing since 2021.

“He is proven, on ovals particularly, however all over the place actually all yr, he is fairly relentless when he is feeling it and is assured within the automobile,” group co-owner Ed Carpenter mentioned.

“I believe he wished it extra at the moment than anybody else. That is what it seemed prefer to me.”

Palou had led 199 laps of the 250-lap race and appeared in management when a stray cloud came to visit the monitor, producing sufficient drizzle for the warning to come back out and bunch up the sector with 42 laps remaining.

The highest three drivers — Palou, Scott McLaughlin and Josef Newgarden — stayed out whereas the remainder of the sector pitted for recent tires. 

Christian Rasmussen (heart), Alex Palou (left) and Scott McLaughlin in victory circle on the rostrum throughout the NTT INDYCAR Collection Snap-On Milwaukee Mile 250.

Rasmussen, a Denmark native recognized for his daring strikes that may be a blessing or a curse, restarted seventh and ripped by way of the sector, taking the lead and by no means trying again, crossing the end line forward of Palou and McLaughlin.

The 25-year-old Rasmussen mentioned he knew if he might have tires that had been brisker by greater than 20 laps, that he would have a powerful benefit and have the prospect to rally. However by the point he received to Palou, he wasn’t positive if his tires had worn sufficient that he would not be capable of move the sequence champion.

“[Passing] Alex, … I did not know the way it was going to go, if I had sufficient to get previous him,” Rasmussen mentioned.

“I knew I might have sufficient to run the highest. But when I might have sufficient grip to really get previous him, I did not know. Clearly, we did. However I used to be assured in what I used to be doing.”

Palou mentioned he initially was fearful about Pato O’Ward, who restarted fourth as the highest driver with brisker tires, however then he was getting reviews that Rasmussen was making passes and considerably chopping into his lead.

“I knew he was going to race laborious,” Palou mentioned. “He all the time races laborious. He was going to move me or go to the wall.”

Christian Rasmussen will get a creampuff in his face from Scott McLaughlin on the rostrum throughout the INDYCAR Collection Snap-On Milwaukee Mile 250.

McLaughlin mentioned whereas that technique ended up as the best name, it was Rasmussen who was capable of make the technique work together with his aggressive type.

“That is how he races,” McLaughlin mentioned. “You bought to respect it. I believe he is very quick. He is very courageous. He makes some very nice split-second selections.

“As we have seen, it is bit him within the bottom a few occasions as effectively. He is studying. He is getting higher.”

Rasmussen famous he has not wrecked out of a race this season.

“I really feel like I discovered a whole lot of classes final yr of how folks drive within the sequence,” he mentioned. “I’ve sort of taken that and sort of replicated that.

“I believe I am on the aggressive facet, however I … really feel like we had final yr to sort of tone that or sort of get it into the best spot. I really feel like we’re doing rather well with it this yr.”

Rasmussen turned the primary, first-time winner within the sequence since 2023.

“It is full credit score to him as a result of he actually made that occur,” McLaughlin mentioned. “The technique was the technique. … He had the boldness to tear across the nook, rip across the outdoors of individuals, do his stuff.”

The 2025 INDYCAR season involves a detailed subsequent Sunday at Nashville Superspeedway (2 p.m. ET, FOX).

Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and INDYCAR for FOX Sports activities. He has spent a long time protecting motorsports, together with over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting Information, NASCAR Scene journal and The (Daytona Seashore) Information-Journal. Observe him on Twitter @bobpockrass.

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