Rinus ‘VeeKay’ van Kalmthout achieved the impossible at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The 23-year-old Dutchman managed to qualify for the ‘Fast Twelve’ session before the famous Indianapolis 500, despite starting from a disadvantaged position.
VeeKay’s first qualifying attempt came to a sudden halt around 17:15 Dutch time. What happened was unclear – a gust of wind or perhaps an overly aggressive wing setting – but in any case, VeeKay had no time, considerable damage, and a painful knee. Where he had always qualified in the top four for the most important race of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES over the past four years, the speedy young driver suddenly had to fear for his participation. With an extremely strong field, where competitors recorded blisteringly fast 4-lap averages, it was questionable whether the Dutchman could even get back on track.
In a typically seven-hour qualifying session, where all 34 aspiring participants fight for 33 starting spots – the top 12 advance to the Fast Twelve, of which the top 6 ultimately compete for pole position, and positions 31 to 34 fight for survival on Sunday – the mechanics of Ed Carpenter Racing managed to repair VeeKay’s damaged car in time.
At ten to midnight Dutch time, VeeKay completed the fairy tale. The Dutchman squeezed everything out of his #21 askROI.com Chevrolet, shooting to a safe eleventh place with an unprecedented average of 232.419 miles per hour (374.042 kilometers per hour). The ECR garage erupted: mechanics hugged each other, and VeeKay’s proud family celebrated with their lauded driver.
VeeKay is the only Ed Carpenter Racing driver who qualified for the follow-up sessions. With Ed Carpenter finishing 17th and Christian Rasmussen 24th, the other two sides of the ECR garage can prepare for the climax of next weekend. For qualifying specialist Carpenter, who had qualified among the top 12 on the Indianapolis 500 starting grid twelve times (including three poles), this was the second consecutive year he failed to reach the Fast Twelve.
VeeKay will compete Sunday evening (Dutch time) from 21:00 for a spot in the top six, alongside (in order of result) Will Power, Scott McLaughlin, Josef Newgarden, Alexander Rossi, Kyle Kirkwood, Kyle Larson, Felix Rosenqvist, Santino Ferrucci, Takuma Sato, and Ryan Hunter-Reay.
The decisive qualifying sessions (Fast Twelve, Last Chance Qualifying, and the Fast Six) for the Indianapolis 500 are live on Ziggo Sport Racing.
