Rinus VeeKay made an impressive debut with Dale Coyne Racing in the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg by RP Funding.
Dutch driver VeeKay improved his No. 18 Dale Coyne Racing Honda from 25th place in the season’s first practice Friday to second overall by Saturday morning. He then successfully advanced past the first round of NTT INDYCAR SERIES knockout qualifying and started 12th in the 100-lap race.
The best starting position for a Dale Coyne Racing driver in 2024 was 13th, achieved by Jack Harvey during the second race of the Milwaukee Mile doubleheader weekend.
VeeKay finished ninth in the race in his debut with the team, giving DCR its first top-10 finish since Sept. 3, 2023, when David Malukas finished eighth at Portland International Raceway. It’s also worth noting the team’s best finishes in 2024 were 13th-place finishes, by Harvey in the season finale at Nashville Superspeedway and Toby Sowery at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
The weekend is a sign of progress for VeeKay and DCR.
“That was a good day,” VeeKay said. “I made it to the Fast 12 and moved up on Sunday. I'm just happy. I think we made the right decisions as a team.”
VeeKay praised the strategy and communication with his new team. He spent his first five NTT INDYCAR SERIES seasons competing with Ed Carpenter Racing and was a late addition to the DCR team, named Feb. 14 as its driver. He was the last driver named to a full-time seat for this season.
Good driver and team communication could be difficult to establish right away, but St. Petersburg was a strong sign of a smooth transition for VeeKay and DCR.
“We clearly understood our target numbers and calculations, especially with the Honda engines,” he said. “I got my first solid experience with it. We did an incredible job as a team this weekend, and I want to thank Dale (Coyne) and everyone on the team, as well as everyone at Honda, for welcoming me and giving me this opportunity. Just being here as a driver wasn’t certain just two weeks ago.”
The team praised VeeKay for his professionalism and expertise. Suffering through a rebuilding season in 2024 when DCR featured four different drivers in the No. 18 Honda and six more in the No. 51 Honda, the experience VeeKay gave the team last weekend could set a foundation for good things ahead.
“His input is valuable,” team owner Dale Coyne said. “I believe his feedback aligns well with our engineering.”
VeeKay also experienced driving a Honda-powered race car for the first time and noted the differences compared to his previous experience. He made 81 career starts with ECR, all powered by Chevrolet.
“It still feels like an Indy car,” VeeKay said. “It’s not a completely different experience. One issue we often faced with Chevy at Ed Carpenter Racing was getting off the corners. I felt that I had that capability with Honda.
“I also think we have a setup that allows me to utilize it to my advantage. I can generate some rotation by accelerating, and I know it will stick. It’s slightly different, but it actually makes it a bit easier to get it right as a driver.”
VeeKay and DCR won’t celebrate a top-10 finish for long. While some drivers would love to quickly climb back behind the wheel to continue the momentum, VeeKay likes the gap between the next race Sunday, March 23 at The Thermal Club (3 p.m. ET, FOX, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network) so they can improve from St. Petersburg.
VeeKay appreciates the team’s engagement with his feedback and acknowledged that his debrief sheet would be quite extensive.
“There were a few aspects that weren’t ideal during this race and throughout the weekend that I believe we can improve on,” he said. “On Friday, we were far outside our ideal setup, but we got the car back in line on Saturday. However, we made such significant progress that we didn’t have enough time to fine-tune the details on the shocks. I believe there’s still more potential in this car.
“Additionally, the engineers haven't been involved in INDYCAR for a few years, so they are also getting back into the rhythm of the weekend and figuring out what adjustments the car needs, what the tires require to reach the Fast 12, how the track changes during the race and how to manage tire wear. Even with a successful weekend, we still have plenty of room for improvement.”