ECR buoyed by rising street course form

ECR used the Arlington event sponsored by team co-owner and chairman Ted Gelov to showcase its steep rise in competitiveness.

The sight of ECR’s Alexander Rossi and Christian Rasmussen recently rocketing around the Phoenix Raceway short oval was anything but a surprise for a team that has placed such a heavy emphasis on oval performance, but the step up in pace to open the year at St. Petersburg and again at the Java House Grand Prix of Arlington – where Rasmussen qualified eighth and Rossi started 10th – spoke to the gains ECR has made outside the ovals.

Rossi was a fixture inside the top 10 before settling for 10th at the checkered flag, and Rasmussen ran well before being sidelined when his Chevy-powered car shut off late in the 70-lap contest. There’s a lot more left for the team to find – Rasmussen sits 22nd in the standings and has yet to finish better than 14th – and while disappointment has been a frequent visitor so far in 2026, there’s also a newfound reason to expect ECR’s duo to be in the mix at every type of circuit.

“Overall, it was a good result for the No. 20 Java House Chevrolet,” said Rossi, who leaves Arlington 10th in the championship. “We had a solid car all weekend and that continued in the race. We were able to run near the front for a bit and the team did a great job on pit lane. Obviously you always want a little bit more, but it’s a solid points day and something we can build on heading into the next one."

Rasmussen is determined to deliver on the promise ECR has shown.

“We had been battling some issues in the closing laps and then the car just shut off,” he said. “We’ll have to look into it. The Java House crew was great in the pit lane today and really all weekend long, so thanks to them. We’ll take this next week off to regroup, then we’ll get back after it at Barber."