Rinus VeeKay Qualifies 5th at Barber for His Best Start Since 2023

Rinus VeeKay, Dale Coyne Racing’s new veteran driver, has found his stride in the No. 18 Honda.

The Dutchman has continued an impressive start to his 2025 NTT IndyCar season after scoring the team’s first top-10 finish since 2023 at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. That momentum built more on Saturday (May 3) during qualifying for the Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix at Barber Motorsports Park.

@rinusveekay qualifies P5 for the Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix while also saving a set of Firestone Alternate tires for race day! pic.twitter.com/5o9MeG5qdP

— Dale Coyne Racing (@DaleCoyneRacing) May 3, 2025

VeeKay and the No. 18 team had to battle issues with the car during Friday’s practice session, posting only the 23rd-quickest time.

“We ran into a few issues today, lost a lot of time unfortunately,” VeeKay told Frontstretch on Friday. “We had a decent session afterwards. [We’ll] get some clear answers on what we need to do. It can always be better, but I think we know what to do. I’m sure we’re going to do the right thing.”

Originally, going into Saturday’s qualifying, the mindset from most drivers was to expect a wet, damp race track for the session. Instead, the track dried up like a bone throughout as qualifying progressed.

Rainy or dry? VeeKay was ready either way.

“I’ll be comfortable going out there,” he said. “If it rains, if it’s dry, it doesn’t matter. I’ve got to beat the opposition. That’s all I care about.”

The rain came early during the second practice, where VeeKay went for a slide once the skies opened, and did so simultaneously with fellow Honda driver Marcus Ericsson, who went airborne off a sand trap and hit the wall.

Wow 😳 That was almost MUCH worse. A big moment for Marcus Ericsson at Barber Motorsports park. #INDYCAR pic.twitter.com/ZAuRszStuL

— INDYCAR on FOX (@IndyCarOnFOX) May 3, 2025

Despite the slide, the team made big swings with the setup during the damp practice, which paid major dividends for the dry qualifying.

“We made a few setup changes, big ones from practice one to practice two, a few minimal ones from practice two to qualifying,” VeeKay said. “Spinning in practice is just about finding the limit and everything.”

VeeKay showed what his Honda was made of once qualifying began, advancing through the rounds with good pace and out-qualifying drivers like Scott Dixon, who spun in his qualifying session, all three Arrow McLaren drivers and Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden, among others.

“I was right on it for qualifying,” VeeKay said. “Thanks to Dale Coyne Racing and Honda for giving me everything I need to do what I can, for allowing me to push to the limit.”

Another positive for the team is how they managed their tire usage to help with tomorrow’s race. 

“We saved a set of [Firestone] Alternate tires for the race,” VeeKay said. “I think that’s a smart decision. We have better grip. That matters tomorrow because of our position. I think that’s smart, and I believe we have the pace we need to have. I think it’s going to be a red race. Having the new alternates will make the difference. There’s a tire change from last year to now, where the tires cool down and heat back up again, there’s quite a grip loss and structure loss on the tires. I think having new tires is just going to be so much better.”

After an offseason of uncertainty going into 2025 and a tough race at the Grand Prix of Long Beach, VeeKay’s spirits are up for Sunday. To be sure, he earned both his first Fast Six since the season finale at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in 2023 and DCR’s first Fast Six since the Nashville street circuit that same year.

“It means a lot to me, especially after a bit of bad luck, Long Beach being a really tough weekend,” VeeKay said. “[We] really struggled there as a team. This is just awesome for the team. We made it into the Fast 12 earlier this season. Now, we’re into the Fast Six. Soon, we should compete for pole. I’m very happy.”

Both VeeKay and team owner Dale Coyne are focused on getting a good result in tomorrow’s race.

“Points are awarded tomorrow, and that’s what we’re saving are cars for,” VeeKay said.

“We’ll see what we can do tomorrow,” Coyne told Frontstretch. “You look at the times from the front, to the top six, to the top 12, all the way to the back, they’re very close. It’s a very competitive and tough field. We’ll start fifth and move up from there.”