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NTT IndyCar series driver Rinus Veekay, who pilots the No. 18 Honda for Dale Coyne Racing, had a difficult outing in Saturday's qualifying session for the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. After a first-round elimination, he took to social media to talk about why he struggled on the alternate tires and the need for a change in strategy for Sunday.
Veekay started the weekend with a 26th-place finish in Practice 1 and drove the second-lowest number of laps (8). He improved to 18th in Practice 2 with a lap time of 1.08.0670 seconds. In the first round of qualifying later in the day, Veekay was last of the 13 cars in Group 1 with a lap time of 01:08.2326 seconds and the best speed of 103.833 mph. He ended up securing the 25th spot for the race on Sunday.
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His best lap came on his final attempt on lap six but was not enough to proceed to the second round of qualifying. In the end, Veekay's lap was over two seconds slower than the pole lap of Andretti Global's Kyle Kirkwood. His DCR teammate Jacob Abel sits behind him in 26th for Sunday's race.
Talking about his struggles and some major changes for Sunday, Veekay captioned his Instagram post, saying:
"Today was hard. Struggling to find grip on the alternate tires. Promising changes coming for tomorrow, we don’t give up!💪🏼"
The 24-year-old DCR driver currently sits 13th in the drivers’ standings with 35 points to his name.
Rinus Veekay's racing career so far
Rinus Veejay began his racing career with karting at the age of 9 and quickly found success in various championships across Europe. He transitioned to American open-wheel racing in 2017, finishing second in the U.S. F2000 National Championship. In 2018, he won the Pro Mazda Championship (now USF Pro 2000), and in 2019, he secured second place in the Indy Lights championship.
VeeKay made his IndyCar debut in 2020 with Ed Carpenter Racing. He earned the Rookie of the Year title that season. In 2021, he achieved his first and only IndyCar win at the Indianapolis Grand Prix. Over his five seasons with Ed Carpenter Racing, VeeKay consistently finished in the top 15 of the championship standings.
In February 2025, Rinus VeeKay signed with Dale Coyne Racing. This move came after Ed Carpenter Racing decided not to renew his contract following the 2024 season. VeeKay expressed surprise at the decision but looked forward to new opportunities with his current team.
"I am happy to announce my partnership with Dale Coyne Racing for the 2025 NTT IndyCar Series season," Rinus Veekay said (via RACER). It makes me proud to see my name among the drivers competing in this fantastic series for a sixth consecutive year. After a difficult start to my offseason, I am delighted to end the winter with this news."
The Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach will commence at 4:30 pm ET on Sunday (April 13).
