Rinus ‘VeeKay’ van Kalmthout is yet to secure a seat for the upcoming IndyCar season. Surprisingly, his contract with Ed Carpenter Racing was not renewed, and he was replaced by American driver Alexander Rossi. However, Van Kalmthout recently made an impression during a test with Dale Coyne Racing. He recorded the third fastest time at Indianapolis.
It is hoped that Rinus ‘VeeKay’ has caught the attention of the few teams that can still offer him a seat. Chip Ganassi Racing, PREMA, and RLL still need to secure one driver for the upcoming season, while Juncos Hollinger Racing and Dale Coyne Racing have yet to contract any drivers. The latter invited ‘VeeKay’ for an open test day at Indianapolis at the last minute.
‘Back in an IndyCar!’
After eighty-eight laps, the Dutch driver was only outpaced by reigning champion Alex Palou and Josef Newgarden. However, he left his replacement at Ed Carpenter Racing, 33-year-old Alexander Rossi, far behind. Of course, these are only test rounds – it’s debatable how representative these times are in the run-up to the new season. Nevertheless, Rinus ‘VeeKay’ went home with a good feeling. “Back in an IndyCar,” he wrote on social media. “I want to thank Dale Coyne for the opportunity to drive his car. I finished in third place!” he concluded enthusiastically.
| Driver | Fastest Time | Number of Laps |
| Alex Palou | 0:40:1173 | 75 |
| Josef Newgarden | 0:40:1843 | 63 |
| Rinus ‘VeeKay’ | 0:40:4149 | 88 |
| Helio Castroneves | 0:40:5268 | 78 |
| Marcus Ericsson | 0:40:5734 | 83 |
| Graham Rahal | 0:40:7356 | 64 |
| Alexander Rossi | 0:40:8155 | 101 |
| Ryan Hunter-Reay | 0:40:9175 | 58 |
| Santino Ferrucci | 0:40:9429 | 36 |
| Christian Lundgaard | 0:40:9900 | 53 |
| Conor Daly | 0:41:0364 | 62 |
