Rinus VeeKay will drive for Juncos Hollinger Racing in 2026. VeeKay drove for Juncos in Pro Mazda. Juncos is VeeKay’s third team in three years.
He began his IndyCar career in202 with Ed Carpenter Racing, where he won his only race, the 2021 Sonsio Grand prix on the iMS road course.
In 2025 VeeKay drove for Dale Coyne Racing, finishing 14th in the season standings.
The Dutch driver has finished each season between 12th and 14th in each of his sixth season in the series.
Until this past season, VeeKay has been an outstanding qualifier at the Indianapolis 500, with three consecutive front row starts, along with rolling off 4th and 7th. He has three top 10 finishes in the 500.
Juncos Hollinger team principalo Dave O’Neill said about signing VeeKay, “At Juncos Hollinger Racing, we’re fully focused on building a program capable of sustained high performance in the years ahead,” said Dave O’Neill, Juncos Hollinger Racing team principal.
“We have exciting plans across every area of the team – on and off the track – and bringing Rinus onboard is a major step in that direction.”
The IndyCar series is not going quietly into its winter hibernation quietly. Five major stories broke between Tuesday and Wednesday. Here is a recap of all that happened.
Rinus VeeKay announced that he had declined an renewal offer from Dale Coyne Racing. VeeKay had a solid year in car 18, finishing 14th in points. He had two top fives and seven top 10s for an entry that in 2024 finished 25th in the standings with several different drivers and missed the Indianapolis 500.
I don’t think VeeKay would have left if there was not something better awaiting him. Speculation is that he will replace David malukas in car4 at A. j. Foyt Racing. But firs twe need to hear that Malukas will be somewhere else next year.
The VeeKay news served as Tuesday’s appetizer. Shortly thereafter, Will Power announced he was leaving Team Penske after 17 years. There will likely never be another driver spending 17 years with the same team, let alone the same sponsor. The outpouring of love and respect from fans and the paddock for Power was great to see. It took me several years to warm up to him, but I came to respect him as a person and admire him as a driver.
Power is a generational talent along with the likes of Scott Dixon. Dixon grabbed more of the spotlight because of his numerous wins and championships, but Power belongs in the same conversation. It is hard to argue against 45 race wins and 71 poles.
Colton Herta grabbed the spotlight next when Cadillac F1 named him as their test driver beginning in 2026. Herta will also drive full time in F2 in order to gain the Superlicense points he needs to drive in F1. I always enjoyed watching Herta in IndyCar, and his absence leaves a huge talent void on the grid. Herta is pursuing his dream to drive in F1,and I hope he gets the opportunity in a coupleof years.
Andretti Global wasted little time replacing Herta, signing Will Power to a multi year deal. Power gives the team a second Indianapolis 500 winner, and Power’s addition actually makes the team stronger. Power wiull push Kyle Kirkwood to new heights.
Yesterday morning IndyCar and Green Savoree Promotions held a news conference to introduce the new home of the former Toronto race in Markham, Ontario, Markham is a suburb of Toronto, scheduled for August 14-16, 2026. Exhibition Place is not available because of the World Cup taking place in June and July. The track had been getting squeezed by development, and I wasn’t sure how much longer IndyCar would be able to race there.
The venue has a five year deal with the series. It will feature another two sided pit lane, the third one for street courses. Detroit and the new race at Arlington, Texas also use that set up.
The track layout of the 2.12 mile, 12 turn circuit is more expansive than the two other relatively new circuits at Detroit and Texas.
The schedule as of today:
3/1: St. Petersburg
3/15: Arlington
4/19: Long Beach
5/9: Sonsio Grand Prix
5/24: Indy 500
5/31: Detroit
8/16: Markham
Ten more dates need to be determined. I expect at least two more venues new to the recent era schedule.
Pato O’Ward won the race by stopping. His Arrow McLaren team called him in to ditch the alternate tires on the early caution on lap 3. The strategy put him in position to take the lead on lap 57, then assume it again on lap 62 after everyone else cycled through their final stops. O’Ward dodged the colliding cars of David Malukas and Felix Rosenqvist on lap 88. I thought he may have had slight contact with one of them.
O’Ward has won two of the last three races and has cut Alex Palou’s lead in the championship to 99 points with four races to go.
The 90 lap race was one of the best of the year. Three cautions in the first 30 laps scrambled pit strategies and made it a thinking man’s race, but in between the yellows, fans saw some excellent racing. There were many battles throughout the field. I don’t recall ever seeing Toronto as racy as it was today.
New Faces on the Podium
Rinus VeeKay returned to the podium for the first time in three years. He finished second after O’Ward won the pit stop battle. The result isvindication for VeeKay, who could not find a ride until just before the season began. It is also a win for Dale Coyne Racing. DCR cars usually hover near the Leaders’ Circle cut line, but VeeKay has the 18 solidly in 11th place. VeeKay has recorded seven top 10s and two top fives in 2025.
Kyfffin Simpson has come close, but today he finally earned the elusive podium. Simpson drove from 13th to third as he held off Colton Herta, who had fresher tires. Simpson has had a solid season. He is 14th in points in his sophomore campaign.
A Tale of Two Seasons
From the opener at St. Pete through the Indianapolis 500, IndyCar races were as uninteresting as I ever remember, There were few cautions, and they all occurred very early in the races. The racing was processional, and drama came only when there was a pit stop miscue.
At Detroit, someone finally remembered to turn on the IndyCar racing switch. The last seven races have been amazing. Timely and untimely cautions, incredible racing for position, and victories in doubt until the end have produced a great summer of action.
There are sadly just four races left for 2025, and let’s hope the trend continues.
FOX
While the network pulled out all the stops for the Indianapolis 500, I am finding their broadcasts a bit tedious. Today a they were once again in commercial when a major crash happened, important pit stops were missed, and not much mention was made of O’Ward’s near miss at the end.
Towards the end of the race there was a one lap break between commercials.
The last two weekends we have seen a tiny peek at a pit stop timer. I saw it once today. If you have it, use it consistently. I would rather the pit stop timer overused than the current overuse of onboard cameras. I wnt to see side by side racing, not the view from a cockpit.
Notes
Finally, a good result for Marcus Ericsson. Ericsson finished fifth, between teammates Herta and Kyle Kirkwood. The 2023 500 winner has had a tough year with disqualifications and unfortunate happenings on track.
Tam Penske’s dismal season continues. Scott McLaughlin left the pits with the left rear wheel not mounted properly and crashed in turn 3 on the out lap. It is the third time this season he has been the first car out of the race. Josef Newgarden once again got caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, as he ended up underneath the car of Jacob Abel. Will Power finished 11th, but he had several incidents of contact throughout the day.
David Malukas salvaged a top 10 after a disastrous final pit stop and a collision with two laps to go. Malukas began to exit the pits before the right rear tire had been secured. He stopped and the crew pulled him back, but the time lost nearly ruined the day.
Kirkwood thought that he threw away the pole yesterday. Today he may have thrown away a win. Team strategy had him in a good spot to contend, but he was spun coming in for his last stop and had to fight his way back to sixth. While he regained third place in the standings Kirkwood is 173 points behind Palou.
Results
Thanks for following along this weekend. One more race this month, then a short break.
Alex Palou put on a clinic today. He drove a masterful race, aided by great pit strategy, and perfect pit execution. Palou has won three of the first four races and finished second in the fourth. He enters the IMS races with a 61 point lead over Christian Lundgaard.
Lundgaard has suddenly become the leader at Arrow McLaren. His second place today is his third straight podium finish. I would not count him out of standing on the top step of the platform one time before June. Lundgaard is the only driver with a shot at possibly catching Palou.
If Rinus VeeKay isn’t a unanimous pick for Driver of the Day, there just wasn’t a winner today. The Netherlands driver backed up his Fast Six from Saturday with a fourth place finish, one spot higher than where he started the race. He has done well at Barber, but to drive a Dale Coyne Racing machine to such heights is an accomplishment.
VeeKay finished just 0.33 of a second behind third place Scott McLaughlin.
Today’s race saw some of the best racing of the year with some battles in the top 10.
The best news of the weekend- I heard that Barber will be run in April in 2026, where it rightly belongs.
Now for the rest of the day:
FOX showed more improvement during the broadcast, but some key items are still lacking. I don’t know why there is still no pit timer. There were several bad pit stops, which they covered, but how much time was lost? I would like to know. This information will be essential during the Indianapolis 500 in three weeks.
Once again there was no pass for the lead, or even a fight for the top spot. While there were some great battles, it was evident that passing is very difficult. Is the hybrid really holding back the racing that much? I would hate to see a processional 500 like we had in the late 2000s.
All four races in 2025 have had a sameness to them. They have been mostly processional with pit strategies being the one intriguing thing about them. That is great for the hard core fan, but it isn’t going to lure new fans in. Perhaps it’s the lack of yellows, 339 consecutive laps of green flag, which is another thing altogether, or perhaps it is the drag of the hybrid.
Thanks for following along this weekend. Tomorrow I start covering the month of May. It’s hard to believe there is another race in just six days.
A long anticipated announcement came this morning as Rinus VeeKay signed with Dale Coyne Racing for the entire 2025 season. VeeKay will drive car 18 and will team with rookie Jacob Abel in caqr 51,
The announcement from Dale Coyne Racing:
< Back
Dale Coyne Racing Signs Rinus VeeKay For the Full 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES Season
Plainfield, Illinois – February 14, 2025 – Dale Coyne Racing signs NTT INDYCAR SERIES veteran Rinus VeeKay for the full 2025 season. VeeKay will drive car 18 as a teammate to Jacob Abel in the 51.
The announcement from Dale Cotne Racing:
< Back
Dale Coyne Racing Signs Rinus VeeKay For the Full 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES Season
Plainfield, Illinois – February 14, 2025 – Dale Coyne Racing signs NTT INDYCAR SERIES veteran Rinus VeeKay for the full 2025 season.
VeeKay last year driving for ECR
After a year in which multiple drivers piloted the two Dale Coyne Racing entries, the team is happy to announce its second full-time driver for the No. 18 entry.
“We are excited about getting back to full-time drivers for 2025. The stability allows us to grow as a team, and that’s important to me. For that to be accomplished, having a proven veteran in one of our entries helps tremendously, and that’s one of the many reasons we have decided to go with VeeKay to complete the 2025 grid. We are excited for him to join the team and get started with us at the Sebring test coming up next week in preparation for the full NTT INDYCAR SERIES season,” said team owner Dale Coyne.
Rinus VeeKay, hailing from the Netherlands, is another graduate of the junior open-wheel series programs, a champion of the 2018 USF Pro 2000 Championship, and vice champion in the INDY NXT by Firestone Championship on his quest to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. Upon reaching the top rung of the ladder, VeeKay continued to shine, earning Rookie of the Year honors in 2020 and securing his maiden victory at the 2021 INDYCAR Grand Prix at IMS. Along with this win, VeeKay has achieved nine top-five finishes and two pole positions. He has shown blistering speed in Indianapolis 500 qualifying, with an impressive average starting position of 3.8, including three front-row starts in his five attempts at the historic race. VeeKay gained the attention of team owner Dale Coyne after finishing first in class at the October IMS oval test and third overall in the No. 18 Dale Coyne Racing entry.
“Very exciting news. I am happy to announce my partnership with Dale Coyne Racing for the 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season,” said VeeKay. “It makes me proud to see my name among the drivers competing in this fantastic series for a sixth consecutive year. After a difficult start to my offseason, I am delighted to end the winter with this news.”
VeeKay will join the team at the Sebring test next week in preparation for his first race with Dale Coyne Racing at the Streets of St. Petersburg on March 2.
Rinus VeeKay is testing for Dale Coyne Racing today. He talked about the difficulty of finding a full time ride for 2025 at this late date.
“…there’s a few seats, but there’s no not really. There’s not really paying seats. So for me, it’s my priority to ride full time next year, and I think no matter what, so at least you have this opportunity now to show you how I work and show the engineers how I work, and what my feedback is. They seem pretty aggressive this morning. “
It was strange seeing Alexander rossi in a different driving suit.
Cars are back on track. I am going mout to watch for a while. I will have a wrap up later today.
In a wild warmup session in which Aj Foyt Racing suffered setbacks, Rinus VeeKay of Ed Carpenter racing led the field. Pole sitter Alex Palou was fourth fastest.
Sting ray Robb spun in turns5/6 and made contact wi9th the tire barrier, causing extensive damage. Santino Ferrucci received a five minute stop and hold penalty for impeding Romain Grosjean. Ferrucci/Grosjean confrontations are a continuing thing, and Indycar needs to step in. This will not end well.
Rinus VeeKay had a rollercoaster day, but he turned out to be the star of Indianapolis 500 qualifying today. His first qualifying attempt looked to be a very solid top 12 run, but he crashed hard in turn 3.
The crew put the car back together in under three hours- an amazing turnaround time. After a mid afternoon run just to get into the field, VeeKay went out in the final minutes and put the car in the top 12 to be eligible to vie for the pole tomorrow.
On the other end of the spectrum, Graham Rahal once again faces a restless night as he needs to wait until tomorrow to attempt to make the race. Rahal got onto the track with six seconds remaining, but the crowd di not get a second dramatic run.
The track was busy virtually all day. In the final two hours cars made multiple attempts to either get into the top 12 or just get into the top 30 to lock down a spot in the 500.
Notes
Kyle Larson overcame a first attempt engine issue to place sixth.
Pato O’Ward had a mostly frustrating day but did end up 10th.
Chevrolet engines endured six plenum fires today, and Honda changed at least two engines. Engine issues have abounded this season.
Only three Hondas are in the top 12.
Team Penske occupies the entire front row.
Felix Rosenqvist continues his qualifying mastery. He was seventh today.
Nolan Siegel may not make the race, but he has not given up. Returning from Thursday’s’ big crash, Siegel made numerous attempts, but is still on th outside.
It’s nice to see former winners Takuma Sato and Ryan Hunter-Reay in the top 12. Five former winners will fight for the pole Sunday.
Alex Palou was left sitting first in line when time expired. It will be srange not seeing a Ganassi car in the top 12.
Today is the first in a series of preview articles as we head into the 2023 NTT Indycar Series season. Let’s take a look at four drivers who I think are going to have much improved years. Three are rookies from last year, and one young veteran I think is about to hit his stride. We will also look at some drivers who may be fighting for their jobs this year.
Drivers to Watch
Kyle Kirkwood
Kirkwood seems to be enjoying his new team. he has been quick in testing, as have his Andretti teammates. What remains to be seen is if his racecraft has improved. Last year Kirkwood sometimes tried too hard to overcome equipment deficits. the result was a lot of unforced errors and a 24th place finish in the final standings. He has the equipment and the team behind him to succeed this year. i expect to see a lot of the Kirkwood we saw on the Road to Indy in 2023. Will he win a race? I think that is possible, but not likely this season.
Christian Lundgaard
Lundgaard quietly earned Rookie of the Year in 2022, and showed steady improvement as the season went on. He earned seven Top 10 finishes, including two Top Fives and one podium. A year’s experience, backing by Hy-Vee, and an improving RLLteam should combine to see even better results for Lundgaard in 2023. I see him ending up in the TopTen at the end of the year.
David Malukas
A rough start to 2022 probably cost Malukas the Rookie of the Year title. He lost to Lundgaard by only 18 points. A driver who showed increasing maturity as the year progressed, Malukas drive to a brilliant second place at World Wide Technology Raceway. Malukas had one other top 10, at Iowa. He was the highest finishing rookie at the Indianapolis 500, but his lack of NASCAR titles cost him Indy Rookie of the Year. Of the three sophomores, I think Malukas is the most probable to eke out a win in 2023. Dale Coyne Racing doesn’t have the best equipment, but they know how to play the rules, and I think a race will fall his way.
Rinus VeeKay
It’s time for Rinus to stop teasing us. The potential is there for a breakout season. We have been waiting for the ECR driver to put together a solid, consistent season. VeeKay won the pole at Barber and finished third after a slow out lap following his second pit stop. He had a decent year in 2022 with six Top Tens and three Top Fives, but just one podium. Maybe we expect too much of VeeKay. I look for a top ten season finish and more regular top five appearances. A win is possible.
Hot Seats
Three drivers need to have really good seasons if they wish to stay in Indycar in 2024. One will be leaving his current team after the season, and this year is an audition for all the other teams. The other two have to show significant improvement in 2023.
Jack Harvey
We still aren’t sure what kind of a driver Jack Harvey is. Harvey had just one Top ten in 2022. That will not be good enough this coming season., I hoped for better results since he joined the series. For 2023, a different sponsor, different car number, and new crew may help Harvey rise to the level that fans have expected of him. I’m not expecting a win, but a final spot in the top 15 would be a significant improvement.
Romain Grosjean
I don’t know Grosjean’s contract status, but I thought when he joined Andretti, he would be a consistent contender for podiums and wins, 2022 was not a good year for Andretti overall, but I thought the former F1 driver would enhance their program. It didn’t happen. Grosjean has been quick in testing during the preseason, and he seems to feel the team has a better baseline heading into 2023. A win is possible, but more top five and top ten finishes are needed.
Felix Rosenqvist
Rosenqvist will depart Arrow McLaren at the end of 2023. In 2022,he had to fight to keep his job, and he showed himself to be up to the task. In 2023 his objective si to show the other teams that he belongs in Indycar. I think he does, and I have no doubt Rosenqvist will show well this season. A win will be tough given his teammates and the competition from other teams,but look for Rosenqvist to have a deal in place with a new team for 2024 before the season ends.
The Pit Window by Mike Silver 