- Rinus VeeKay finishes second at Indy Toronto, his best result since 2021
- Dale Coyne Racing driver led during final stint before Pato O’Ward’s decisive pit stop
- VeeKay calls 2025 season a “turning point” after strong string of top-10 results
Rinus VeeKay continued his impressive 2025 campaign with a standout performance at the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto, bringing the No. 18 askROI Honda home in second place for Dale Coyne Racing. It marked VeeKay’s best finish in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES since placing runner-up at Belle Isle Park in 2021.
“It was a really good day,” VeeKay said. “We’ve been making progress all season, but we’ve usually had to fight from the back. This time we qualified well, and I knew we could move forward.”
The weekend was a breakthrough in what has been a season of steady gains for the 23-year-old Dutchman. After opening the year by starting 12th and finishing ninth at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, he’s clawed his way forward in race after race. He surged from 24th to ninth at the Sonsio Grand Prix, 18th to seventh at World Wide Technology Raceway, 22nd to 10th at Road America, and 26th to ninth at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
In Toronto, he started closer to the front, qualifying ninth before making a well-timed pit stop on Lap 13 after choosing not to pit during the early caution. From there, he steadily climbed into contention.
At one stage, VeeKay led eventual race winner Pato O’Ward on track before his final pit stop on Lap 57. O’Ward, who had stopped on Laps 4 and 29, made his final stop one lap later and gained the lead thanks to a faster fill.
“Unfortunately with Pato, he had a much shorter fuel fill,” VeeKay explained. “I was really, really deep into the collector coming through the pits — fuel doesn’t flow any faster than that. We lost a bit of time there. I gave it everything, but by the end, the tires were gone. Pato’s tires were gone too. We were all sliding around. Second was the best we could do today, and it was still a really good result for us.”
It was a result that capped off a remarkable turnaround for VeeKay, who was the final full-time driver announced for the 2025 season, signing just weeks before the opening round.
“There have been a number of places this year where I’ve had the best car I’ve ever had in my INDYCAR career,” he said. “It was a crazy off-season. With everything that happened, it feels like a turning point in my career.”
From an uncertain winter to challenging for wins, VeeKay’s 2025 story is rapidly becoming one of the most compelling in the INDYCAR paddock.
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