Failing spark plug robs VeeKay of top finish in Detroit
Having qualified seventh and getting to start from P6, Rinus ‘VeeKay’ van Kalmthout sadly missed out on finishing the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix with a strong result, as the 24-year-old Dutchman fell foul to mechanical failure when a spark plug refused service.
The 2025 NTT IndyCar Series is in full swing now, as on the back of a busy Month of May in which three races – including the iconic Indianapolis 500 – were run, VeeKay and his rivals were already preparing for their first race weekend in June. The venue for the seventh race of the 17-race season was Detroit’s street track, a tricky circuit in the heart of Motown.
Rinus VeeKay’s fans were left with a bad taste in their mouths from the Indy 500 where the young Dutchman drove a strong race from 31st to 6th before his brakes began to fail on him just when VeeKay needed them most – while entering the pitlane. Despite the failure, the driver of the #18 askROI Dale Coyne Racing Honda managed to see the positive side – he once again managed to fight with the quickest drivers out there.
On the streets of Detroit, VeeKay demonstrated his talent yet again, as the Dale Coyne Racing driver qualified among the Fast Twelve, a sterling performance for the smallest team in the 27-car field. Then VeeKay also made its presence felt among the top 12 when the blue and white car with start number 18 shot up to a fine seventh place, just a few thousandths short of the top six. Someone else’s penalty delivered VeeKay sixth on the grid spot for Sunday’s 100-lap race.
However, of those 100 laps, the Dutch IndyCar hero unfortunately only completed seven. While he managed to keep his position at the front after the start, his car suddenly lost speed after seven laps, allowing several competitors to easily overtake their Dutch rival. This prompted VeeKay’s new race engineer Michael Cannon to call his pupil in for an unscheduled pitstop. The mechanical failure proved to be of such a nature that VeeKay was unable to continue his way. Investigation later revealed that a spark plug had failed.
“Bummer,” said VeeKay briefly but firmly from Detroit. “After a strong qualifying, I was able to start sixth and the speed was good during the race as well. The car was fine, I got through the first laps of the race without any effort. After seven race laps, I suddenly felt I was losing power. One after the other car passed me and so I was called into the pits."
“Afterwards, Honda and Dale Coyne Racing investigated what the problem was, and they concluded that it was a broken spark plug. Well, if that doesn’t work, you won’t get very far in this mechanical sport! Of course it is a shame that a potential good result went to waste, but unfortunately this is part of the sport. It was sheer bad luck.”
“After four busy weeks, we now have a weekend of rest before we travel to Gateway, a beautiful short oval I have fond memories of. At this track, my team Dale Coyne Racing has managed to secure some great results in the recent past, which gives us hope for the upcoming race. First rest for a while and then go full steam ahead,” VeeKay concluded.
The next race of the 2025 NTT IndyCar Series will be held at Gateway’s World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois. The eighth round of the year is officially scheduled for Sunday 15 June but at the time it starts it will be Monday 16 June in the Netherlands. As it is an evening race in the United States, the race will not start until 2.30am Dutch time.
