VeeKay gets rewarded with fourth on superb weekend in Alabama
Rinus ‘VeeKay’ van Kalmthout has finished the fourth race of the 2025 NTT IndyCar Series in a stunning fourth place. The 24-year-old Dutchman was one of the standouts at the Children's of Alabama Indy Grand Prix at Barber Motorsports Park.
Rinus VeeKay and Barber Motorsports Park – it has been a match made in heaven for years now. The Dutchman obviously feels comfortable on the Alabama circuit, having raced there in Road to Indy races, qualified on pole in IndyCar as well as scored an IndyCar podium finish. The move to Dale Coyne Racing and Honda power did nothing to change VeeKay’s form in Alabama, as the Dutchman showed his class in the 2025 edition as well.
Due to technical problems in the Friday session and missing valuable practice time, the VeeKay show could only begin during qualifying. In a hugely competitive second qualifying group, VeeKay proved to be among the fastest, and as a result he reached the final segment of the Fast Twelve, where the fastest six drivers take each other on. The lightning-quick driver of the #18 askROI.com Dale Coyne Racing Honda was rewarded with an excellent fifth position on the grid. It was a special achievement for the Coyne team, which proudly applauded the performance of its lead driver.
From fifth on the grid, VeeKay managed to maintain a strong position at the top of the IndyCar field during the opening laps of the 90-lap race. Starting on hard Firestone tyres, the Dutch driver kept a firm grip on the top four, while at the same time not allowing the drivers behind to pass. After 19 laps, VeeKay had had enough of his hard tyres and swapped them for their softer counterparts.
However, a shrewd strategic manoeuvre by the McLaren team caused VeeKay to lose two places on the first pit stop lap, as both Christian Lundgaard and Pato O’Ward overtook the blue and white Coyne car. So when VeeKay was called in for a second pit stop midway through the race, his team was right on it, as great work by the Coyne crew allowed VeeKay to make up the ground lost to O’Ward. With a strong outlap, the unleashed driver himself also managed to keep a number of rivals behind him who had pitted earlier, elevating him up to fourth.
To finish the race, VeeKay had to come in one more time to complete his third pit stop. Although the right front wheel proved troublesome, VeeKay losing a couple of seconds in the process, the Dutchman managed to hang on to fourth place. Once again, he had himself to thank for, as VeeKay excelled through another demon outlap, then parried several attacks by two-time IndyCar champion Will Power before attacking Scott McLaughlin’s third position in the dying stages of the race. He was one lap short of completing the move, but with a fourth-place finish, the mood in the VeeKay and Coyne camp ahead of the all-important May race can only be confident.
“A super race,” VeeKay cheered from Alabama. “Starting fifth was obviously a highlight in itself, since both the Coyne team and I myself hadn’t qualified that well up in a long while. After that, we had another completely ‘green’ race, with again no cautions at all, and it just came to us. After the first pit stop we lost some places because we may have come in just a bit too late, but after that we fought our way back, with fourth place as a reward.”
“Actually, that longer first stint worked to our advantage in the end,” VeeKay admitted. “It allowed me to save a bit more fuel during the second stint, and combined with excellent work from my crew, that gave us a strategic advantage. Of course, it was not easy to keep Will Power behind me on cold tyres, but I pulled it off twice. We can be super satisfied with this fourth place.”
“Huge thanks to Dale Coyne Racing, I believe we are capable of a lot. I would also like to mention askROI.com, as without them I probably wouldn’t have raced in IndyCar at all this year, so I want to repay the trust of both the team and the investor with good results. Today (Sunday) I certainly succeeded. A great start to the month of May!" VeeKay concluded.
May has begun and that means that the racing capital of the world takes centre stage. In the coming weeks, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway will be the battleground for the NTT IndyCar Series, with the Sonsio Grand Prix first up. This will take place this Saturday, May 10. After that, it is time for the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. The Greatest Spectacle in Racing is scheduled for Sunday, May 25.