Rinus VeeKay Found an IndyCar Ride, But at What Cost?

Weeks before the start of the 2025 NTT IndyCar Series season, Rinus VeeKay has found a new team to drive for after his split with Ed Carpenter Racing, that team being Dale Coyne Racing. VeeKay will pilot the team’s No. 18 Honda entry this year, doing his part in ending the series of musical chairs that defined Coyne’s driver lineup last year.

During the 2024 season, VeeKay put together a consistent final eight races resulting in one top five and five top 10s. His first of six top-10 finishes for the year came at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where he recovered from a crash on qualifying day to make the Fast 12 in an emotional moment. He went on to qualify seventh and finish ninth in the Indianapolis 500.

The incredible run that got it done.@rinusveekay will fight for the pole on Sunday.

📺: #Indy500 qualifying on Peacock pic.twitter.com/7VJCx30Xy6

— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) May 18, 2024

All things considered, VeeKay had been ECR’s most consistent and reliable driver since joining the team in 2020, making the team’s decision to part ways ahead of 2025 one of the more questionable silly season moves in the series.

VeeKay earned his only career win with ECR in 2021 when he won at Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course and achieved two further podiums for the team at Detroit and Barber Motorsports Park in 2021 and 2022, respectively. He drove the No. 21 Chevrolet for ECR throughout those five seasons.

Since 2023, the Dutchman only posted three DNFs, only one of which involved a crash. VeeKay made a habit of bringing the car to the finish intact for the overwhelming majority of his races in the past two seasons.

Despite his career-best points finish being 12th, the general feeling about VeeKay at ECR appeared to be very positive and it seemed a given that he would return for his sixth season. It felt impossible for VeeKay to be booted from his seat.

That is until Arrow McLaren’s Alexander Rossi hit the free agency market, and ECR chose to move Christian Rasmussen up to full-time racing after driver-owner Ed Carpenter regressed in form on the ovals in 2024.

BREAKING NEWS: Ed Carpenter Racing announces its driver lineup for the 2025 season with @AlexanderRossi joining the team on a multiyear deal to pilot the No. 20 and @ChristianR_DK moving full-time to the No. 21.#INDYCAR // @ECRIndy pic.twitter.com/kNTaXNQ0j3

— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) September 25, 2024

Just like that, VeeKay was left out in the cold with very few options late into silly season. For the first time, VeeKay faced a setback in his IndyCar career.

So, how did VeeKay end up here? Why did he choose to race with DCR?

DRIVER NEWS : It’s official, Rinus VeeKay will join Dale Coyne Racing for the full 2025 NTT INDYCAR season. pic.twitter.com/M7vnGlQKYj

— Dale Coyne Racing (@DaleCoyneRacing) February 14, 2025

The short answer is there weren’t any other options for VeeKay this season, especially by the time he found out about ECR’s surprise signing of Rossi. All of the silly season moves such as McLaren signing Christian Lundgaard, David Malukas joining A. J. Foyt Enterprises, Marcus Armstrong moving to Meyer Shank Racing and Devlin DeFrancesco going to Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing played out to his disadvantage, leaving DCR as the only dancing partner to pick from.

It was either DCR, some other racing series or the couch, waiting on a part-time deal to hopefully materialize.

While VeeKay fans will be relieved that he’s going to stick around in the series this season, there’s an overwhelming feeling that VeeKay should be racing with one of the top teams in the series based on his talent behind the wheel. Even though ECR has been a consistent mid-pack team, VeeKay seemed to always find the best out of his car on ovals, street circuits and road courses alike.

Simply put, it’s hard to deny that VeeKay is now driving below his value.

Looking at DCR, they once again have an opportunity to host talent that can punch way above the weight of some of the part-time drivers that have filled the seat over the past couple of seasons, and some former DCR drivers have gone on to make good careers in IndyCar as well. Examples over the past 10 seasons include Juncos Hollinger Racing’s Conor Daly and Sting Ray Robb, Foyt’s Santino Ferrucci and Malukas, Prema’s reserve driver Romain Grosjean and even defending IndyCar champion Alex Palou, now driving for Chip Ganassi Racing.

Additionally, with VeeKay stepping in as the veteran driver with his rookie teammate Jacob Abel, this provides some much-needed stability for DCR after having to rely on many different part-time drivers to fill the driver role for both cars. In 2024, Jack Harvey, Nolan Siegal, Daly and Hunter McElrea filled the role of the No. 18 Honda and Katherine Legge, Colin Braun, Siegel, Luca Ghiotto, Tristan Vautier and Toby Sowery were the cast of drivers that piloted the No. 51 Honda throughout the season.

Having just the two drivers of VeeKay and Foster can significantly help DCR get back to consistently good finishes and, potentially a run for the Leaders Circle prize-sharing fund at the end of the season.

DCR is looking to improve on their results after they only managed to achieve a best finish of 13th at Mid-Ohio with Sowery and both Barber and Nashville Superspeedway with Harvey. With VeeKay’s raw speed, top 10s are certainly back on the table for DCR, as well as potentially competing for podiums much like with Malukas at ovals.

Although it may be a disappointing setback at the moment, by no means is VeeKay’s racing career over. He’s still young, still in IndyCar, and he’s ready to show that he still belongs this upcoming season with DCR.