Rinus VeeKay Biggest Mover in Sonsio Grand Prix With P 9 Finish

Rinus VeeKay – No. 18 askROI, Dale Coyne Racing Honda
• Starting the race on the primary tires, VeeKay pursued the competition, gaining several spots in the opening handful of laps.
• Making his first stop on Lap 14, the Dale Coyne Racing crew fitted VeeKay with a set of fresh alternate tires.
• Being one of the first on pit road, VeeKay undercut the field, finding himself P13 after the pit cycle.
• Continuing to cut his way through the field, VeeKay climbed to 12th before coming in for his next pit stop on Lap 37, putting on a set of scuffed primary tires.
• Once again being one of the first down pit road, undercutting the competition, VeeKay found himself in P11 coming in for the final pit stop.
• Pitting for a final time on Lap 61, the #18 crew sealed a speedy day as the 8th quickest team on pit road, putting Rinus on a set of alternate tires and enough fuel to push as much as possible to end the race.
• Pushing hard, Rinus worked up to P9, capping his day as the biggest mover, setting the second-fastest lap time for Honda, and catapulting himself into the top 10 of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES points standings.
Post-Race Quote
“Awesome strategy. Great job to the whole Dale Coyne Racing team for all the work that got put in overnight to make the car quick. Gave me a great strategy, and all I needed to do was be the quickest guy out there. I’m having a lot of fun, we have a really good group of people working together, and we have had a season of just maximizing our position out of the car. Pitting as early as we did to undercut everyone was made possible by Honda mileage, which is really good around here. Huge thanks to askROI for making this possible. I’m happy to be getting them some good results these past few weeks.”
Jacob Abel – No. 51 Abel Construction, Dale Coyne Racing Honda
• After starting the race on alternate tires, Abel settled into the race, showing competitive pace early.
• Abel’s first stop of the day came on Lap 17, putting on Firestone alternate tires. After not getting full fuel on this stop, the team was forced into an alternate strategy.
• Forced to make an extra pit stop on Lap 29, Abel was put onto the primary tires.
• Coming out in front of the leaders, Abel showcased his defensive driving skills and competitive pace, holding off the leaders for many laps to stay on the lead lap for as long as possible.
• Pitting on Lap 45, Abel’s crew put on alternate tires to help the rookie move up the order.
• On Lap 50, Abel set his fastest lap of the race, recording a time of 01:12.851.
• After running as high as P19, Abel’s car shut off coming to pit road for his final stop of the day. The Dale Coyne Racing crew was unable to refire the car, ending a promising day.
Post race quote
"That was tough. We had great pace and I felt confident in the setup for today, and we have an issue end our day. It’s frustrating we have the pace, and we just have not been showing it at the end of races. All you can do is push forward. I know the team will give me good cars, and I know that we will be higher in our finishing position soon. It’s cliché, but all the pieces are here, and we just have to put them all together. So thankful to Mecum for coming aboard with me they make what I do possible, and I’m so grateful to have them on my car."