With an impressive second-place finish, Rinus ‘VeeKay’ van Kalmthout demonstrated on Sunday in Toronto why he is one of the revelations of the IndyCar season. It was his first podium in three years, and the Dutchman, who started ninth, stated afterwards that he certainly doesn’t intend it to be his last.
“I knew we could move forward, it was a pleasure to drive this car,” the Dale Coyne Racing driver told FOX Sports. “And I have the feeling that this is the first of many podiums to come with this team.”
The 24-year-old driver from Hoofddorp has been making waves all season. He has finished in the top ten multiple times and has stood out in recent weeks with some impressive overtaking races. These were necessary as Van Kalmthout had to start from the back of the grid on several occasions. That was not the case on Sunday in Canada: he started from P9.
Still, he had a significant task ahead of him if he wanted to finish on the podium. But he accomplished this task impressively. ‘VeeKay’ – who won an IndyCar race in 2021 – even took the lead for a while, but ultimately had to concede to Mexican Patricio O’Ward. However, this did not dampen the spirits: the driver and his team were understandably very pleased with the first podium in three years and the fifth in his IndyCar career.
In the championship, Van Kalmthout is in thirteenth place, with 211 points. Multiple champion Alex Palou leads the pack with 515 points, with O’Ward trailing significantly behind with 386 points. The next race is scheduled for the coming weekend at the Laguna Seca circuit.
