FRIDAY, AUGUST 23 – SUNDAY, AUGUST 25, 2024

RACE: BITNILE.COM Grand Prix of Portland
TRACK: Portland International Raceway
LOCATION: Portland, Oregon, USA
TRACK LAYOUT: 12-turn, 1.964-mile natural road course
RACE LENGTH: 110 Laps/216.04 Miles

PRACTICE: Friday – 2:55-4:10 p.m. PT (Peacock), Saturday – 9-10 a.m. PT, 5:15-5:45 p.m. PT (Peacock)
QUALIFYING: Saturday – 12:30-2 p.m. PT (Peacock)
RACE: Sunday – 12 p.m. PT (USA Network, Peacock)

CHRISTIAN RASMUSSEN, NO. 20 GUYCARE CHEVROLET

CHRISTIAN RASMUSSEN, No. 20 GuyCare Chevrolet: “I am excited to go to Portland for the BITNILE.com Grand Prix and am proud to be representing BitNile on the No. 20 GuyCare Chevrolet! I do have mixed feelings going into Portland, I am excited to be back in the car for the first time in a while but I am also a little sad that it’s my last race of the season. We had a few weeks before the break where we had good pace so we will build on that and look to finish off my season strong!”

OF NOTE: 

• Christian Rasmussen will be back behind the wheel of the No. 20 GuyCare Chevrolet after team owner Ed Carpenter drove in last weekend’s oval race at World Wide Technology Raceway. As the final three events of the 2024 season are ovals, the BITNILE.COM Grand Prix of Portland will be the final race of Rasmussen’s rookie season.

• Rasmussen joined Ed Carpenter Racing after winning the 2023 INDY NXT championship. He was only nine when he claimed his first karting championship in his home country of 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 24-year-old has continually impressed in his debut NTT INDYCAR SERIES season. In his first Indianapolis 500, he drove from 24th to 12th and was the highest finishing rookie in the field. After a strong race at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, he had a breakout performance at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Rasmussen advanced to the second round of qualifying for the first time and earned his first Top 10 starting position. He took the checkered flag in 9th, his first career Top 10 finish in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. In his most recent race in the streets of Toronto, he advanced in qualifying for the second event in a row.

• 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.

RINUS VEEKAY, NO. 21 ASKROI.COM CHEVROLET

RINUS VEEKAY, No. 21 askROI.com Chevrolet: “I am looking forward to Portland! It’s also very cool to have BitNile back on the car for the BITNILE.COM Grand Prix! I had my season-best finish there last year and am excited to see what we can do this year. It’s the last road course of the season, last time turning right! I feel good, we are in a strong position and I think we can extend our Top 10 streak.” Courtesy INDYCAR Photo

OF NOTE: 

• Though Rinus VeeKay has only competed in three NTT INDYCAR SERIES races at Portland International Raceway, his history with ECR at the track goes back to the beginning of his career. In August of 2019, ECR selected VeeKay for an evaluation test at Portland. It was the first of two successful tests before he was named full-time driver of the team’s No. 21 Chevrolet prior to the 2020 season. In the 2021 Grand Prix of Portland, his first at the track, he gained an astonishing 16 positions on the opening lap. VeeKay had his best finish of the 2023 season in Portland with a 6th place. 

• 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. He now has over 75 career starts, each of which have been behind the wheel of the No. 21 Chevrolet. His fifth season in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES has seen VeeKay step into a veteran role as ECR’s senior full-time driver.

• VeeKay began 2024 with a Top 10 finish in the season-opening street course race in St. Petersburg, Florida. At the Indianapolis 500, VeeKay and his No. 21 crew rebounded from a crash during his first qualification attempt and not being in the 33-car field to advancing the to the second day of qualifying and earning the 7th starting position. The following week, VeeKay raced his way through the entire field to finish 9th after a penalty dropped him to the back. Including Saturday night’s 10th place at WWT Raceway, VeeKay has put together an impressive string of four Top 10 finishes in the last four races.

• The No. 21 Chevrolet has featured askROI.com at select events this season and will again be on the car for the BITNILE.COM Grand Prix of Portland. askROI aims to redefine the boundaries of generative AI by providing tailored business solutions beyond the conventional scope, adapting to individuals’ or businesses’ specific data. askROI and ECR are actively exploring ways that the team can use AI to increase competitiveness.