Dale Coyne Racing officially announced that Rinus VeeKay, a seasoned IndyCar driver for 2025’s entire season has been signed. This move is meant to provide stability for the team, following a turbulent season in 2024 marked by driver changes.
VeeKay is a Dutch native who brings with him a lot of racing experience in the IndyCar Series, which is highly competitive. Dale Coyne racing believes that having a driver with his level of experience will lead to a better performance by the team in the coming season. His experience will help the team improve their standings in the IndyCar Championship.
Dale Coyne Racing has been a mainstay in the IndyCar paddock ever since it was founded by Dale Coyne back in 1984. It is known for identifying new talent and nurturing them, often with surprising results, against bigger, more well-funded teams. This team has had a history of fielding highly competitive NTT IndyCar Series entries.
Notable achievements for Dale Coyne Racing include Ed Jones’ remarkable third-place finish at the 2017 Indianapolis 500 in his rookie year, and multiple podium finishes secured by drivers such as Sébastien Bourdais and the late Justin Wilson. The 2024 IndyCar Season proved to be challenging due to the constant changing of drivers, which led performance levels fluctuating. Rinus VeeKay’s addition to the team signals that there is a need for greater consistency.
Rinus VeeKay was born Rinus van Kahlthout. He developed an early passion for motorsports. At the age of 8, he began his racing career in karting, and quickly became a champion in both the Netherlands as well as the wider Benelux area. His early successes laid the groundwork for his move to open wheel racing.
VeeKay was a star in junior open wheel series. Indy Lights, he placed second and won the USF Pro 2000 Championship in 2018. IndyCar Series debuted in 2020 for Ed Carpenter Racing, where he won Rookie Of The Year at Harvest GP and his first podium place at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. VeeKay won the IndyCar Grand Prix in Indianapolis Motor Speedway 2021, making him the youngest Dutch driver ever to win an IndyCar.
VeeKay, who has been in IndyCar since 2004, has nine podium finishes to his name and also two pole positions. However, the 2024 season saw him finish 13th in the championship standings with ECR – his lowest placing since entering the series. Even so, his Indianapolis 500 records remains impressive. In five starts, he averaged a starting position of 3.8, including three in front. Dale Coyne will benefit from his experience of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s road course and oval.
IndyCar’s 2025 field will feature fierce competition. Established powerhouses like Team Penske, Chip Ganassi and others are always vying for championship titles and race victories. Dale Coyne hopes to utilize VeeKay’s racing experience to achieve consistent top-10 results. VeeKay, who signed a multi-year deal with Dale Coyne Racing in January of this year, will bring VeeKay stability and help the team to gain new sponsors. In the modern IndyCar race, it is important to have a driver that has multiple IndyCar races.
Rinus’ ability to thrive and seamlessly integrate with his new team, Dale Coyne Race, remains to seen. The team has been greeted with optimism by his arrival. IndyCar enthusiasts are anxiously waiting for the NTT IndyCar Series 2025 to begin so they can see VeeKay, Dale Coyne and Alex Palou compete against Scott Dixon and Josef Newgarden.