In six NTT INDYCAR SERIES seasons, Rinus VeeKay hasn’t strayed far from his median. He has finished as high as 12th in the point standings and as low as 14th. But not all seasons should be judged equally, he insisted earlier this week.

As the 25-year-old Dutch driver heads to his first season with Juncos Hollinger Racing in 2026, he feels he has the momentum to help this Indianapolis-based team reach new heights.

“(Last year) was a great year, probably my best year in my INDYCAR career,” he said.

That season with Dale Coyne Racing resulted in a 14th-place finish, a position much like what he experienced in five years with Ed Carpenter Racing. But a deep dive shows a second-place finish on Toronto’s tricky street circuit at Exhibition Place, a fourth-place finish at the challenging Barber Motorsports Park and two instances where he reached the Firestone Fast Six in road course qualifying.

As impressive is what VeeKay accomplished in the season’s six oval races. In a car that admittedly struggled for speed in qualifying, VeeKay averaged nearly eight positions gained in races. Three times he delivered a double-digit improvement from where he qualified.

VeeKay, a former series Rookie of the Year and one-time race winner, did all that despite having two different lead engineers, part of why he now considers 2025 as a year to celebrate.

“I think at the time I didn’t think so, but it was probably the best thing for my career to have a change of scenery,” he said of moving from Ed Carpenter’s team to Coyne’s. “At ECR, I came in as a rookie, got comfortable there. I just always had the same infrastructure around me.

“Now last (season) with Dale Coyne Racing, I needed to prove myself. I really was a lot more involved with the team and learned a lot more in one season than I (did) in one season with ECR being there for five years. I think that showed Juncos Hollinger Racing what I can do.”

Rinus VeeKay

VeeKay’s position in the final standings was the highest for a Coyne driver since Sebastien Bourdais and Santino Ferrucci finished 11th and 13th, respectively, in 2019. VeeKay’s second-place finish in Toronto (photo, above) was only the team’s fourth such result since Bourdais won in St. Petersburg in 2018. VeeKay also finished four positions higher in this season’s standings than JHR’s top driver.

VeeKay said his performance “raised eyebrows,” which helped him become one of the series’ most intriguing free agents. Also consider that he has experience – 97 races – and has stood on five series podiums while qualifying in the top four for four Indianapolis 500s presented by Gainbridge. He remains the youngest front-row starter in the history of the “500.”

“What we (did) together (was) great – it (was) a lot of fun for me,” VeeKay said of his 17 races with Coyne’s team. “I think I (drove) the best season I could have, made minimal mistakes and really, really mastered the INDYCAR race craft. It (was) really good.

“I think whatever the future holds, definitely the upcoming season with Juncos Hollinger Racing, I will benefit from what I learned at Dale Coyne Racing.”

VeeKay’s signing with JHR reunites a championship-winning pairing and the key to him reaching the NTT INDYCAR SERIES in 2020. VeeKay won the 2018 Pro Mazda Championship (now USF Pro 2000) with Ricardo Juncos’ team, and they followed that success into a runner-up finish in the next year’s INDY NXT by Firestone season.

VeeKay said he became attracted to the opportunity to join Juncos Hollinger Racing after considering the energy, talent and commitment of the staff. Also, JHR had a particularly strong program on the ovals this year, with Conor Daly posting four top-10 finishes, including an eighth-place showing at Indy. Daly led 13 laps in the “500.”

“We were both interested to working together for this season, and we met up a few times in the last season,” VeeKay said of talks with JHR. “I talked to the new people from the ‘H’ in JHR (co-owner Brad Hollinger), and I really liked their mentality, their ambition and basically everything they told me really aligned with how I think about what needs to be done to be successful.

“It was an easy match. I think everybody is as excited to start the new season.”

It’s worth noting that VeeKay has his next year’s plans solidified five-plus months earlier than a year ago, when he was the last full-time driver added to the grid.

“Definitely it's nice to work a whole offseason … we can get a lot done with the team, especially being new,” he said. “Getting to know the names, doing pit stop practice, really getting that brotherhood ready for the season, especially since it kicks off so quick.”

Next season begins Sunday, March 1 with the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.