It’s Back to the Future for VeeKay
(Photo by Chris Jones/Penske Entertainment)
By Dennis Krause
They had success together in the Road to Indy program.
With the announcement that Rinus VeeKay will drive for Juncos Hollinger Racing in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES next season, the Dutchman is hoping to recreate the success he had with the team in his junior racing career.
“I'm very excited, definitely,” said VeeKay. “I knew Ricardo (Juncos) already from our time in the Road to Indy, the championship we won, and the vice championship in INDY NXT.
“We already knew each other. We always talked to each other, obviously see each other around.
“We were both interested to working together for this season, and we met up a few times in the last season. I talked to the new people from -- the H in JHR. And I really liked their mentality, their ambition, and basically everything they told me really aligned with how I think about what needs to be done to be successful.”
While VeeKay is coming off a season where he scored a podium finish at Toronto’s street race among two top 5’s and seven top 10’s for Dale Coyne Racing, he believes the move to JHR was his best as he enters his seventh season in the series.
“I kind of touched with JHR pretty early, and it didn't take us very long to get a deal done and then all get happy with the terms.
“For me it was really between Dale Coyne Racing and Juncos Hollinger Racing. Those were, for me, the big options for 2026.
“It's always hard to make a decision like that, especially having a very successful season with Dale Coyne Racing in 2025. You think about it. You look in some different kind of perspectives. For me this clearly was the best move for me for the future.”
Coyne and VeeKay at Toronto. (Photo by Travis Hinkle/Penske Entertainment
After five years with Ed Carpenter Racing, VeeKay found himself without a ride for 2025 until he was picked up by Coyne. Although he only spent one year with the team, it ultimately turned out to be an important season for VeeKay.
“Yeah, for me it was a great year. Probably my best year in my INDYCAR career. Giving me the opportunity, and I think the same the other way around. We needed to help each other. They came off a really rough season and for me, the position I was in, we really needed each other.
“I mean, what we've done together has been great. It's been a lot of fun for me. I think I've driven the best season I could have, made minimal mistakes and really, really mastered the INDYCAR race craft. It's been really good.
“I think whatever the future holds, definitely the upcoming season with Juncos Hollinger Racing, I will benefit from what I've learned at Dale Coyne Racing.”
Armed with that knowledge gained, VeeKay sees a bright future at JHR.
“I see a lot of ambition, a lot of good people with incredible track records working at the team, and I think the team is a lot better than what they have been able to show. So I think with me coming into the team, showing what I've done to Dale Coyne Racing last year, not only as a driver, but also in really leading the team into making the right decisions, altogether I think we can do really well.
“The car is already great, but then on the road and street courses I can help them a lot, and I think we can be a consistent contender for top 5s and top 10s.”
One area VeeKay believes he can help the team with is consistency.
“Yeah, I just see what they can do with their results the last few seasons. They've shown a lot of signs of a really quick car and success. They've just been lacking the consistency to do it every time. I think that's what I can bring to the team.
“I think the team is a lot better than other people think. When I see how they run the team, when I see how -- when I see their cars and see how the car handles, it just looks really comfortable. I think the car has a lot more pace than I think has been shown. I'm excited to give it a spin and see what it really can do.”
VeeKay and JHR teammate Sting Ray Robb. (Photo by Chris Jones/Penske Entertainment)
Both Juncos Hollinger Racing and Dale Coyne Racing are small teams compared to others in the series. As the more experienced driver compared to teammate Sting Ray Robb, VeeKee believes he can bring something to the team that has been lacking.
“I really think guidance. There's infinite things to look at on an INDYCAR and how to make it quicker, but altogether it's what can they do to make the car respond to my influence the best?
“I've been able to show that really well with Dale Coyne Racing. I tell them what to fix, and it's being fixed. We keep it very basic, but in the end I've shown to be a good driver in INDYCAR in the past few years.
“I think my leadership within the team -- you know, we're having a lot of fun. That's one thing. Fun is very important, but also just communication within the team to really tell them, Hey, we need to work on this and this, I don't like how the dampers feel, stuff like that.
“I can pinpoint and narrow the search to what they need to fix.
“I'm being hired to make the team better,” continued VeeKay. “That's their reason for hiring me, to make the team more successful. That's my job description. That's what I'm going to do.
“I have to think big-picture with the team to bring everybody up. Even though racing can seem like a very selfish sport, it's still a lot of people behind the scenes that make everything work.
“You've got to be a team player, and I'm excited to be one, again, here with Juncos Hollinger Racing.”
Dennis Krause has spent decades covering all forms of motorsports, including over 40 Indianapolis 500s, with stints at WIBA Radio, PIT PASS - Radio’s Premier Motorsports Magazine and Motorsports Minute. Follow him on X @DennisKrause500 or motorsportsminute.bluesky.social or motorsportsminute on Threads or MotorsportsMinute+ on Facebook.