Compared to last year’s silly season, Rinus VeeKay can actually enjoy the majority of his offseason with the security of having a solidified NTT IndyCar Series seat for 2026.
On Tuesday, Oct. 14, Juncos Hollinger Racing officially announced VeeKay as the lead driver for the team for next season, joining Sting Ray Robb at the two-car operation. The Dutchman returns to driving for a Chevrolet-powered team after piloting the Dale Coyne Racing No. 18 Honda last season, earning a podium for the team on the streets of Toronto.
VeeKay elevated the performance of DCR from a team shuffling drivers like a deck of cards to no avail in 2024 to podium contenders on road and street course races throughout 2025 and even carrying the No. 18 almost to the top 10 on some instances at the ovals as well.
VeeKay had gained Michael Cannon as a race engineer and strategist for the second half of the season, a major pickup for both him and Coyne, and echoed how much having him on top of the box helped him throughout multiple races in 2025.
So why leave all that behind to take a chance at something better?
The overwhelming feeling as VeeKay climbed out of his cockpit for the final time at Nashville Superspeedway was a feeling of appreciation and love for all members of the team. VeeKay transformed DCR back into a well-respected team and it felt like it could only go up from there, especially with the prospects that could take over the second seat for 2026.
But instead, it was truly goodbye as many other seats were available for the taking. VeeKay took his shot, vying for a better seat instead of potentially staying and reaping the benefit of the newly-minted partnership between DCR and Andretti Global via the signing of Dennis Hauger.
Hindsight is always 20/20, but it would be curious to know if VeeKay knew anything about that deal before making his decision to look elsewhere.
Regardless, as VeeKay stayed on the market, the top seats were filled predictably with Will Power joining Andretti and David Malukas going to Team Penske, but seats were yet to be filled for two other teams: AJ Foyt Enterprises and JHR.
With AJ Foyt’s No. 4 being vacant, it seemed like that could be the step up for VeeKay as that car held its own with Malukas behind the wheel at ovals and even on road and street courses at times. Meanwhile, Conor Daly showed his speed on ovals for the most part, but couldn’t seem to find the pace on other track types.
It seemed clear that the No. 4 could be the right move for VeeKay, but instead, AJ Foyt has continued to try out newcomer Caio Collet in offseason tests in the past few weeks.
Between VeeKay, Daly and Linus Lundqvist being the best available drivers for JHR, it seems more circumstantial that VeeKay took the ride at JHR, rather than promotional, after what he accomplished at DCR last season.
Does this mean that VeeKay will take a step back with JHR overall? Not at all.
Daly proved that JHR can hold its own at ovals, including showing great pace in the majority of the Indianapolis 500 this season. With VeeKay’s strength on road and street courses, this move propels JHR into contention to finish on the podium, much like how it was with Roman Grosjean before. Getting VeeKay will help the team have at least one driver who can finish on the podium on any given Sunday.
Plus, VeeKay has more than built his reputation after turning DCR around last year. All VeeKay seemingly needs is an opportunity in any ride in the IndyCar paddock, and he will do well wherever he goes. This may just be the next step to potentially something greater, but VeeKay has proven he has what it takes to compete, even if it’s not in the greatest of equipment.
Whether this is the long-term home for VeeKay is to be determined by how next season goes, but for now, VeeKay will at least still get his chance to wow the IndyCar world on race day, and at the end of the day, that’s all he needs.
Wyatt Watson has followed motorsports closely since 2007. He joined Frontstretch as a journalist in February 2023 after serving in the United States Navy for five years as an Electronic Technician Navigation working on submarines. Wyatt is one of Frontstretch's primary IndyCar correspondents, providing exclusive video content on site. He hosts Frontstretch's Through the Gears podcast and occasionally The Pit Straight.You can find Wyatt's written work in columns such as Friday Faceoff and 2-Headed Monsteras well as exclusive IndyCar features. Wyatt also contributes to Frontstretch's social media team, posting unique and engaging content for Frontstretch.
Wyatt Watson can be found on X @WyattWRacing