The Reasons Why IndyCar’s Rinus VeeKay Signed With Juncos Hollinger

Juncos Hollinger Racing has an IndyCar Series race winning driver joining the operation in 2026 as 25-year-old Rinus VeeKay announced as the new driver on Tuesday, October 14.

VeeKay finished second in the INDY NXT By Firestone Series Championship with Juncos Hollinger in 2019 and is reunited with team owner Ricardo Juncos.

“I knew Ricardo already from our time in the Road to Indy, the championship we won, and the vice championship in Indy NXT,” VeeKay said Tuesday. “We already knew each other. We always talked to each other, obviously see each other around.

“We were both interested to working together for this season, and we met up a few times in the last season. I talked to the new people from -- the H in JHR (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.”

VeeKay’s Early Success

VeeKay won the road course race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2021 with Ed Carpenter Racing. The driver from Hoofddorp, The Netherlands joined IndyCar as a 19-year-old rookie in 2020. He remains the fastest rookie in Indianapolis 500 history when he recorded a four-lap average of 230.704 miles per hour making him the fastest teenager in Indianapolis 500 history. He started fourth on the grid in the only Indianapolis 500 held in August because of the COVID 19 Pandemic in 2020.

VeeKay was IndyCar Rookie of the Year that season.

VeeKay competed for ECR through the 2024 season. He was released by the team and joined Dale Coyne Racing for the 2025 IndyCar season.

VeeKay finished 14^th in the 2025 NTT IndyCar Series championship. He announced he was leaving the team shortly after the final race of the season and has moved over to Juncos Hollinger Racing.

“I’m excited to officially announce my move to Juncos Hollinger Racing,” VeeKay said. “This is a team with real momentum, high ambitions, and a clear vision for the future. There’s a shared determination to compete at the highest level, and I’m confident that together we can achieve great things.

“Signing with Juncos Hollinger Racing also feels like a return home – Juncos Racing gave me my start in the Pro Mazda Championship (now USF Pro 2000) in 2018, and we continued together in Indy Lights (now Indy NXT) in 2019, winning thirteen races and a championship title together. I believe this is the right environment for me to continue growing as a driver.”

VeeKay has one victory, two pole positions, two fastest laps, five podiums and 33 top 10 finishes in 97 starts. He is also the youngest front row starter in Indianapolis 500 history.

VeeKay’s Expectations

Juncos Hollinger Racing believes VeeKay can raise the expectation level and the competitiveness of the IndyCar team.

“At Juncos Hollinger Racing, we are fully focused on building a program capable of sustained high performance in the years ahead,” said Dave O’Neill, Team Principal, Juncos Hollinger Racing. “We have exciting plans across every area of the team – on and off the track – and bringing Rinus on board is a major step in that direction.

“Reuniting with Rinus feels like a natural continuation of the success we’ve shared in the past. As Juncos Hollinger Racing enters its fifth full IndyCar season, and with Rinus bringing six seasons of IndyCar experience at just 25 years of age, we believe this reunion will deliver results quickly. He brings the ideal combination of speed, consistency, race craft, and experience that we’re looking for.”

The technical side of the team is spearheaded by former F1 veteran David Brown and former IndyCar Series vice president of technology Will Phillips.

“Rinus will be a key part of a refreshed driver lineup that reflects our ambitions and long-term vision,” O’Neill said. “We’re working hard to assemble the right mix of talent to elevate our competitiveness, and we’re confident that Rinus will play a central role in that progress.”

More Reasons For VeeKay To Make the Move to JHR

In 2025, VeeKay’s Indy car was powered by a Honda engine. At Juncos Hollinger, he will drive a car with a Chevrolet engine.

“It’s kind of like coming home after doing five seasons with Chevy power,” VeeKay said. “Of course, had five incredible 500s and qualifying efforts at the 500.

“I’m really excited to come back, but ultimately, the biggest decision for me to go to Juncos Hollinger Racing was the team itself.

“I see a lot of ambition, a lot of good people with incredible track records working at the team, and I think the team is a lot better than what they have been able to show. I think with me coming into the team, showing what I’ve done to Dale Coyne Racing last year, not only as a driver, but also in really leading the team into making the right decisions, altogether I think we can do really well.

“The car is already great, but then on the road and street courses I can help them a lot, and I think we can be a consistent contender for top five and top ten finishes.”

This past season, VeeKay was a very late addition to the lineup at Dale Coyne Racing as he was hired shortly before the opening race of 2025. Team owner Dale Coyne wanted to pair a veteran driver to help young Jacob Abel develop during his rookie season.

At JHR, VeeKay is hired to win races.

“Well, that’s the thing, I'm being hired to make the team better,” VeeKay said. “That's their reason for hiring me, to make the team more successful. That's my job description. That's what I'm going to do.

“Yeah, I have to think big picture with the team to bring everybody up. Even though racing can seem like a very selfish sport, it’s still a lot of people behind the scenes that make everything work.

“You’ve got to be a team player, and I'm excited to be one, again, here with Juncos Hollinger Racing.

“I kind of touched with JHR pretty early, and it didn’t take us very long to get a deal done and then all get happy with the terms. For me it was really between Dale Coyne Racing and Juncos Hollinger Racing. Those were, for me, the big options for 2026.

“It’s always hard to make a decision like that, especially having a very successful season with Dale Coyne Racing in 2025. You think about it. You look in some different kind of perspectives.

“For me this clearly was the best move for me for the future.”

That’s the best reason of all for Rinus VeeKay.