Who was Ed Delporte? Exploring the everlasting legacy of IndyCar and ECR legend

The IndyCar paddock has been thrown into a somber mood after the Ed Carpenter Racing (ECR) team announced the passing of long-time staff member Ed Delporte. The 53-year-old passed away following a lengthy battle with pancreatic cancer.

Delporte’s death has prompted an outpouring of tributes from across the IndyCar community, with drivers, teams, and key industry figures honoring his life and legacy. The wave of condolences following the announcement has since stirred the question: Who was Ed Delporte, and why did he mean so much to the Ed Carpenter team?

In the world of American open-wheel racing, few names resonate around IndyCar like that of Ed Delporte. The Indiana native was one of Ed Carpenter Racing’s first employees. He boasted over 30 years of experience in IndyCar and had been with the Ed Carpenter team since its inception in 2011.

According to media outlet Grande Prêmio, he began his career in IndyCar in 1994, where he served as a data engineer for the now-defunct Dick Simon Racing team. After the team folded, Ed Delporte moved to the Panther Racing outfit, where he worked as an engineer between 1998 and 2009.

Delporte subsequently joined the KV Racing Technology team before eventually signing with Ed Carpenter in 2011—a move that marked a milestone moment in his IndyCar engineering career.

As ECR’s electronic engineer, Delporte played a crucial role in several of the team’s milestones, including when team owner Ed Carpenter clinched consecutive pole positions (2013 and 2014) at the Indy 500. He was also involved when Ed Carpenter stormed to a second-place finish at the Brickyard event.

Delporte was an integral part of the six race victories recorded by the Ed Carpenter team so far in IndyCar racing. Unfortunately, as pancreatic cancer took its toll, the Indiana native saw his role within the team’s engineering setup reduced. Delporte missed the recent Indy 500 event, and team general manager Tim Broyles ensured that the three cars they fielded carried a special tribute to their long-serving engineer.

Delporte sadly passed away in the early morning of June 3, bringing a close to an iconic career. Beyond his technical expertise, he was also known as a historian of the series, having attended 30 editions of the Indy 500.

Ed Carpenter Racing mourns the passing of Ed Delporte

The Ed Carpenter Racing outfit announced the passing of Ed Delporte on social media after he lost his battle with cancer. The 53-year-old was one of the team’s longest-serving engineers at the time of his demise.

Sharing a post on its X (formerly Twitter) account, the Indiana-based outfit shared a photo of the 53-year-old alongside a heartfelt tribute.

“It is with heavy hearts that we share the passing of our teammate Ed Delporte. After a long and brave battle with pancreatic cancer, Ed passed away the morning of June 3, 2025.

Ed was one of Ed Carpenter Racing’s original employees and has been with the team since its first race. Not only was he a talented electronics engineer, he was a tremendous teammate and an integral part of our ECR family. A true historian of the sport, he attended 13 Indianapolis 500s before working 30. This year was his 31st, and we are honored he was able to help us prepare for one more 500. Rest easy, Ed.”

The announcement by the team has continued to spark an outpouring of reactions across the IndyCar scene and beyond, subtly reflecting the respect and admiration he earned throughout his career.

While the team has yet to announce who will shoulder the responsibility left behind by Delporte, one thing is certain: whoever is appointed will undoubtedly have a gigantic void to fill within the Ed Carpenter Racing family.