VeeKay produces impressive comeback drive from P26 TO P9 at Mid Ohio
Rinus 'VeeKay' van Kalmthout continues to impress in the NTT IndyCar Series, as the 24-year-old Dutchman secured his sixth top-ten finish of the year at the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio, finishing ninth in the tenth race of the season.
VeeKay has enjoyed a successful period since switching to the Dale Coyne Racing team. Admittedly, his team does not have the financial resources or manpower of the top IndyCar teams, and sometimes this is manifesting itself in challenging situations, but there is nothing to criticise about VeeKay’s driving skills, the Dutchman giving his all every week and increasingly attracting the attention of the IndyCar paddock.
One of those challenges for Dale Coyne Racing is the first free practice session. VeeKay's blue and white #18 askROI.com Honda and his teammate Jacob Abel’s car have suffered from set-up issues, forcing them to trail their competitors more often than usual in the first practice sessions. VeeKay often manages to catch up during the weekend, although due to his own mistake this proved more difficult at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course race weekend.
During qualifying, VeeKay was on course to progress to the next segment until he suddenly lost control in the final corner. This meant he had to forget about completing a fast lap and as a result he would start the 90-lap race in Lexington, Ohio, in 26th place. However, the IndyCar winner did not let this setback get him down, as he started the race determined to succeed.
During qualifying, VeeKay was on course to progress to the next stage, but he suddenly lost control of the steering wheel in the final corner.
In his typically aggressive style, VeeKay fought his way to the front, transforming P26 into 21st by carefully manoeuvring his car past the debris during a chaotic opening lap. After the restart, he passed one rival after another before executing a daring fuel strategy to perfection, as he proved to be one of only three drivers – alongside winner Scott Dixon – to pull off a two-stop strategy.
Before his first pit stop, he was already close to the top ten but after a second service, he passed his rivals who had made three stops one by one. When the chequered flag dropped, VeeKay was in ninth place, earning him the Jostens Biggest Mover trophy, awarded to the driver who makes up the most places from their position on the grid. An even better result had been in the cards, as Kyffin Simpson stalled his engine during his stop, causing VeeKay, who had to merge in front of the Barbadian, to lose several seconds.
This is the third consecutive race in which VeeKay has finished in the top ten, and the first time since 2020 that a car from the Coyne team has achieved this. With six top-ten finishes in ten races, VeeKay is producing an impressive statistic. Coyne failed to reach the top ten once last year.
“Another top-ten finish, my sixth of the year in my tenth race,” VeeKay rejoiced from Ohio. “Of course, I am extremely satisfied, and to be honest, I didn’t quite expect this from 26th on the grid. I hoped for it, of course, but the execution was almost perfect. I didn’t believe it would be possible to pull off a two-stop strategy in such a long race, but we managed it. I would like to thank my engineer, Michael, and the entire Dale Coyne Racing crew for this fantastic team effort!”
“Honda also deserves credit,” VeeKay continued. “We managed to keep fuel consumption low at times, which enabled us to pass the crucial 30-lap mark and make the pit stop. When my former teammate Christian Rasmussen rolled to a standstill, my engineer made the right call: we came in just before the yellow flag and were able to finish our stop. That saved me a lot of time.”
“Everyone is happy, there’s a good atmosphere in the team. Now we’re heading to the Iowa Speedway where I achieved my best result of the season last year. If our car performs as well as it did on the Gateway oval, we could be in for a great weekend. No matter what, I’m really looking forward to it,” VeeKay concluded.
VeeKay and his IndyCar rival will barely have time to recover, as the next race is scheduled for Saturday. The venue is the Iowa Speedway, where a double-header will be held this weekend. The first race starts at 2am Dutch time on Sunday morning.
