Date of birth: |
September 11 2000 |
Nationality: |
Netherlands |
First race: |
Texas, 2020 |
Rinus VeeKay, known in the Netherlands primarily as Rinus van Kalmthout, is regarded as one of the top young talents in open-wheel racing. After a successful karting career, the Dutch driver began climbing the "Road to Indy ladder" in 2017, with the goal of eventually reaching the NTT IndyCar Series.
The road to IndyCar
VeeKay achieved significant success during his time in the Road to Indy, securing sixteen victories in three years. This resulted in two second-place finishes in the 2017 U.S. F2000 National Championship and the 2019 Indy Lights Championship, as well as the title in the 2018 Indy Pro 2000 (formerly Pro Mazda) Championship.
All these successes in the United States, along with a title in the F3 Asia Winter Series Championship at the start of 2019, made a seat in the NTT IndyCar Series for 2020 almost inevitable. This was further confirmed after VeeKay's successful tests with Ed Carpenter Racing at Portland International Raceway and the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course during the summer of that same year, where he delivered very impressive performances.
IndyCar debut with Ed Carpenter Racing
In 2020, the moment finally arrived, and for the first time since 2009, a Dutch driver was back on the IndyCar grid. VeeKay performed exceptionally well in his debut season, finishing twelve of the fourteen races, with five top-10 finishes. During the INDYCAR Harvest GP race weekend on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway infield, the Dutch driver achieved his first major highlight of the season by securing pole position for the first race that weekend. Although he didn’t win the race the following day, the young talent from Hoofddorp still made his way to the podium after finishing in third place.
Despite the fact that the penultimate race and the final race of the 2020 season didn’t go ideally for the Dutchman, VeeKay was already able to claim the Rookie of the Year title as soon as the green flag waved in St. Petersburg. This marked the first time since 2007, when Robert Doornbos won the title in the Champ Car World Series, that a Dutch driver had claimed the Rookie of the Year honor.
Just outside the top 10 in the standings
In 2021, VeeKay had a very strong first half of the season, highlighted by his first victory during the Grand Prix of Indianapolis. Other highlights included a front-row start at the Indianapolis 500 and a second-place finish in Detroit. However, the second half of the season was much less productive for the Dutchman. After a cycling accident—and missing one race—VeeKay did not finish in the top 10 again for the rest of the season.
The 2022 season was somewhat more consistent, with highlights including a pole position at Barber Motorsports Park, a third-place finish in the same race, and another front-row start at the Indy 500. However, his goal of a top-10 finish in the standings remained out of reach, and he ended the year in twelfth place.
In 2023, VeeKay competed in his fourth season for Ed Carpenter Racing. Despite the team being in better financial shape, they were unable to provide VeeKay with competitive equipment. Only at Indianapolis did the Dutchman shine, earning an impressive second-place start. It wasn’t until the end of the season that VeeKay’s car became more competitive, allowing him to achieve his best result of the season—a sixth-place finish in Portland.
VeeKay carried his good form into the 2024 season, but Ed Carpenter Racing did not. In the first half of the season, the fast Dutchman often seemed in contention during races, but pit issues, technical problems, or poor strategic decisions held him back. However, the team showed improvements as the season progressed, and VeeKay was able to achieve five top-10 finishes in the final eight races. He ultimately finished the season in thirteenth place in the standings. However, it proved insufficient to keep his seat, as after five seasons, 2024 turned out to be VeeKay's final season with Ed Carpenter Racing.
Results 1979 - 2025
2020 |
Race |
Track |
FP |
Genesys 300 |
Texas Motor Speedway |
22 |
GMR Grand Prix |
Indianapolis Road Course |
5 |
REV Group Grand Prix - Race 1 |
Road America |
13 |
REV Group Grand Prix - Race 2 |
Road America |
14 |
Iowa IndyCar 250s - Race 1 |
Iowa Speedway |
20 |
Iowa IndyCar 250s - Race 2 |
Iowa Speedway |
17 |
104th Running of the Indianapolis 500 |
Indianapolis |
20 |
Bommarito Automotive 250s - Race 1 |
Gateway |
6 |
Bommarito Automotive 250s - Race 2 |
Gateway |
4 |
Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio - Race 1 |
Mid-Ohio |
8 |
Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio - Race 2 |
Mid-Ohio |
11 |
INDYCAR Harvest GP - Race 1 |
Indianapolis Road Course |
3 |
INDYCAR Harvest GP - Race 2 |
Indianapolis Road Course |
17 |
Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg |
St. Petersburg |
15 |
2021 |
Race |
Track |
FP |
Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama |
Barber Motorsports Park |
6 |
Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg |
St. Petersburg |
9 |
Genesys 300 |
Texas Motor Speedway |
20 |
XPEL 375 |
Texas Motor Speedway |
9 |
GMR Grand Prix |
Indianapolis Road Course |
1 |
105th Indianapolis 500 |
Indianapolis |
8 |
Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix - Race 1 |
Detroit Belle Isle |
2 |
Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix - Race 2 |
Detroit Belle Isle |
18 |
Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio |
Mid-Ohio |
16 |
Big Machine Music City Grand Prix |
Nashville |
24 |
Big Machine Spiked Coolers Grand Prix |
Indianapolis Road Course |
24 |
Bommarito Automotive Group 500 |
Gateway |
21 |
Grand Prix of Portland |
Portland |
17 |
Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey |
Laguna Seca |
18 |
Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach |
Long Beach |
25 |
2022 |
Race |
Track |
FP |
Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg |
St. Petersburg |
6 |
XPEL 375 |
Texas Motor Speedway |
10 |
Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach |
Long Beach |
13 |
Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama |
Barber Motorsports Park |
3 |
GMR Grand Prix |
Indianapolis Road Course |
23 |
106th Indianapolis 500 |
Indianapolis |
33 |
Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix |
Detroit Belle Isle |
16 |
Sonsio Grand Prix at Road America |
Road America |
17 |
Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio |
Mid-Ohio |
4 |
Honda Indy Toronto |
Toronto |
13 |
Hy-VeeDeals.com 250 |
Iowa Speedway |
4 |
Hy-Vee Salute to Farmers 300 |
Iowa Speedway |
19 |
Grand Prix of Indianapolis |
Indianapolis Road Course |
6 |
Big Machine Music City Grand Prix |
Nashville |
12 |
Bommarito Automotive Group 500 |
Gateway |
26 |
Grand Prix of Portland |
Portland |
20 |
Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey |
Laguna Seca |
14 |
2023 |
Race |
Track |
FP |
Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg |
St. Petersburg |
21 |
Texas Indy 375 |
Texas Motor Speedway |
11 |
Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach |
Long Beach |
26 |
Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix |
Barber Motorsports Park |
16 |
GMR Grand Prix |
Indianapolis Road Course |
13 |
107th Running of the Indianapolis 500 |
Indianapolis |
10 |
Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix |
Detroit |
18 |
Sonsio Grand Prix at Road America |
Road America |
12 |
Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio |
Mid-Ohio |
15 |
Honda Indy Toronto |
Toronto |
13 |
Hy-Vee Homefront 250 |
Iowa Speedway |
17 |
Hy-Vee One Step 250 |
Iowa Speedway |
18 |
Big Machine Music City Grand Prix |
Nashville |
14 |
Gallagher Grand Prix |
Indianapolis Road Course |
11 |
Bommarito Automotive Group 500 |
Gateway |
11 |
Bitnile.com Grand Prix of Portland |
Portland |
6 |
Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey |
Laguna Seca |
18 |
2024 |
Race |
Track |
FP |
Grand Prix of St. Petersburg |
St. Petersburg |
8 |
The Thermal Club $1 Million Challenge |
The Termal Club |
25 |
Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach |
Long Beach |
14 |
Indy Grand Prix of Alabama |
Barber Motorsports Park |
17 |
Sonsio Grand Prix |
Indianapolis Road Course |
26 |
108th Running of the Indianapolis 500 |
Indianapolis |
9 |
Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix |
Detroit |
14 |
XPEL Grand Prix at Road America |
Road America |
24 |
Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey |
Laguna Seca |
26 |
Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio |
Mid-Ohio |
19 |
Hy-Vee Homefront 250 |
Iowa Speedway |
5 |
Hy-Vee One Step 250 |
Iowa Speedway |
9 |
Honda Indy Toronto |
Toronto |
8 |
Bommarito Automotive Group 500 |
Gateway |
10 |
Grand Prix of Portland |
Portland |
11 |
Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250s - Race 1 |
Milwaukee Mile |
14 |
Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250s - Race 2 |
Milwaukee Mile |
7 |
Big Machine Music City Grand Prix |
Nashville Superspeedway |
12 |