Rinus ‘VeeKay’ van Kalmthout will start from the seventh position at next week’s Indianapolis 500. The 23-year-old Dutchman left a strong impression during the Fast Twelve session, fighting his way to the third row with an average speed of 374.35 kilometers per hour.
“From the third row, we can definitely compete for the front positions”
Rinus ‘Veekay’ van Kalmthout – IndyCar driver at Ed Carpenter Racing
The fifth round of the 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season, the most important race of the year, almost slipped through VeeKay’s fingers. During the first qualifying session for the famed Indianapolis 500, which will hold its 108th edition next weekend, the Dutchman went off track and hit the wall. Miraculously, and thanks to four phenomenal qualifying laps, the Ed Carpenter Racing driver managed to qualify on Saturday afternoon (local time) after a repair process.
VeeKay drove so fast that he was able to return on Sunday for the Fast Twelve session, the follow-up qualification for the front starting positions. Thanks to his eleventh time on Saturday, VeeKay went out second, finding himself in a neat seventh place just over half an hour later. The driver of the #21 askROI.com Chevrolet managed to keep four additional competitors, who had been faster on Saturday, behind him during Sunday’s session.
After a fourth, two third, and a second starting position, this celebrated seventh starting spot is surprisingly VeeKay’s weakest qualifying result in his five participations in The Greatest Spectacle in Racing. However, it should not be forgotten that Ed Carpenter Racing has had a challenging twelve months, and the oval dynamics have significantly changed since the last meeting at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
For instance, Team Penske has all three cars on the front row, and McLaren has an extra advantage with oval specialist and former NASCAR champion Kyle Larson. The qualifying results of VeeKay’s ECR teammates Ed Carpenter (17th) and Christian Rasmussen (24th) seem to provide a more logical picture of the field dynamics. Therefore, VeeKay can be particularly pleased with his own qualifying performance.
“This is Indy,” a delighted VeeKay reports from the legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway. “One moment you’re up against the wall, the next moment you can breathe a sigh of relief. I’m very satisfied with a seventh starting position; I can confidently say I’ve gotten the most out of it.”
“After their phenomenal work on Saturday, I owe my mechanics a beer every day this week,” jokes the Dutchman, who saw his green-black car rebuilt in no time after Saturday morning’s (local time) accident. “Since the spare car wasn’t fine-tuned like my own, we obviously preferred to repair everything to go back out with the familiar car. I’m proud of the entire team for making it happen. On Sunday, we took an extra step forward, and P7 is a great result.”
“From the third row, we can definitely compete for the front positions, though I must admit the Penske cars seem to be from another planet, they’re so fast. Fortunately, the Indianapolis 500 is long and tough, so the final result is never predictable. I will do everything I can to go home with the trophy and the milk. I’m looking forward to it,” concludes VeeKay determinedly.
The 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge will start next Sunday, May 26, around 18:30 Dutch time. The race will be broadcast live on Ziggo Sport and Ziggo Sport Racing with commentary by René Hoogterp.
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.
