Rinus 'VeeKay' van Kalmthout says goodbye to Dale Coyne Racing

After one year of working together, Rinus ‘VeeKay’ van Kalmthout is leaving Dale Coyne Racing. The 24-year-old Dutchman, who finished the 2025 NTT IndyCar Series season in 14th place, thanked the team for an unforgettable experience.

At the end of the 2024 IndyCar season, VeeKay was approached by Dale Coyne Racing, a team that had had a challenging year, as team boss Dale Coyne was looking for a leader – a a hungry driver with experience at the top level of American open-wheel racing. Coyne ended up with VeeKay, and the pair announced their partnership in mid-February.

Racing the number 18, VeeKay went on to showcase his abilities in the #18 askROI.com car powered by a Honda engine during the 2025 IndyCar championship, the Dutchman scoring seven top-ten finishes that included two top-five finishes, with the season culminating in a podium finish on the streets of Toronto.

Together with his manager, Adrian Sussman — who represented four-time IndyCar champion Dario Franchitti, among others — VeeKay has chosen a different path for the 2026 season, although the single IndyCar race winner has nothing but positive words for Dale Coyne Racing and looks back on a successful season with the experienced team.

“I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Dale Coyne Racing, and especially Dale and Gail Coyne, for the opportunity they provided in 2025 to re-establish my presence in the racing community. This past IndyCar season was the most enjoyable and pleasant year of my career. I want to put my mechanics and my engineer in the spotlight because I couldn’t have done it without them. Each and every one of them did their utmost to make the #18 askROI.com Honda perform well in every session. I will never forget this season.”

Rinus VeeKay will soon present his plans for the 2026 motorsport season.