Rinus VeeKay Moves Up The Field and Into The Top 10 In Dale Coyne Racing Debut
St. Petersburg, Florida (Sunday March 2, 2025) – Dale Coyne Racing’s Rinus VeeKay (No. 18 askROI Honda) moved up through the field and into the top 10, finishing 9th after the 100-lap race around St. Petersburg. His teammate, Jacob Abel, also improved on his starting position, finishing 23rd in the 27-car field.
Rinus VeeKay – No. 18 askROI, Dale Coyne Racing Honda
- Starting the race on the alternate tires, VeeKay utilized the Lap 1 yellow to pit for a fresh set of primary tires, rejoining in 15th.
- VeeKay then worked his way up to 11th before making his next stop on Lap 34.
- On his Lap 34 stop, the Dale Coyne Racing crew fitted him with another set of fresh primary tires.
- Continuing to cut his way through the field, VeeKay climbed to 10th before coming in for his final pit stop on Lap 66.
- With his final set of primary tires, VeeKay secured 9th place, earning his first top-10 finish of 2025 in the season opener.
Post-Race Quote
“What a great first race with Dale Coyne Racing for me. It was a tough but good race—moving up from 12th to 9th was a solid step. My goals for this weekend were to get into the Firestone Fast 12 and finish in the top 10, and that’s exactly how it went. We had great teamwork, and there is always room for improvement because it’s still only our first weekend together. With time, we will get better. Thanks to Dale, the team, and Honda for their support this season, and thank you to askROI for their support for a second season in a row.”
Jacob Abel – No. 51 Abel Construction, Dale Coyne Racing Honda
After starting the race on alternate tires, Abel also utilized the Lap 1 caution to switch to Firestone primary tires.
Abel put in consistent lap times before pitting again on Lap 35, where the Dale Coyne Racing crew fitted him with another set of primary tires.
On Lap 58, Abel set his fastest lap of the race, recording a time of 01:03.292.
- After starting the race on alternate tires, Abel also utilized the Lap 1 caution to switch to Firestone primary tires.
- Abel put in consistent lap times before pitting again on Lap 35, where the Dale Coyne Racing crew fitted him with another set of primary tires.
- On Lap 58, Abel set his fastest lap of the race, recording a time of 01:03.292.
- The rookie wrapped up his first NTT INDYCAR SERIES race of the year in 23rd, a two-position improvement from his starting spot.
Post race quote
“Well, my first race is done and over. I learned a lot this weekend, and we made some strides for improvement that we can continue into the coming events. I can’t thank the team, Dale, and everyone who helped me along the way enough. Honestly, I can’t believe I’m able to say I’m an NTT INDYCAR SERIES driver. I look forward to learning and growing this season. We brought the car home in one piece and gained some spots from where I qualified. We can definitely grow from this performance”
