Veekay Narrowly Misses Out On Firestone Fast 6 Appearance

Rinus VeeKay – No. 18 askROI, Dale Coyne Racing Honda

VeeKay took to the track in Group 1, Round 1 of qualifying on primary Firestone tires.

The veteran used the early laps to warm up his tires and brakes, setting a banker lap before pitting.

The Dale Coyne Racing crew then fitted a set of alternate Firestone tires.

VeeKay posted a time of 01:01.371, advancing into the Firestone Fast 12.

At the start of the Fast 12 session, he ran on a set of scuffed alternate tires to complete his banker lap.

Switching to a fresh set of Firestone alternates, VeeKay recorded a lap of 01:00.720, placing him P6 temporarily before being bumped to P7 in the final moments.

This marks a strong qualifying result for the No. 18 askROI Honda in Michael Cannon’s return to Dale Coyne Racing. The team will start P6 in tomorrow’s race after penatlies to other competitors.



Post-qualifying quote:

"AHH—good qualifying! I'm really satisfied with my lap during the Fast 12 session for the Chevy Grand Prix of Detroit. We had a really strong car and just barely missed out on the Fast 6, but I think we maximized what we had. This was our best street course qualifying of the year and my first qualifying session with Michael Cannon. The car is awesome I can really race with it, and we can move forward. I believe a podium is a realistic goal for us tomorrow. Big thanks to askROI for their continued support and to Honda for giving me such a great engine on these street courses!"


Jacob Abel – No. 51 Blue Oval SK, Dale Coyne Racing Honda

The rookie took to the track on the alternate Firestone tires for his Banker lap.

Abel then pitted for the Dale Coyne Racing crew to give him another set of alternate tires.

During this pitstop the crew fixed a slight technical gremlin costing the team approximately 15 seconds where the rookie was forced to be stationary on pit road

Abel went on to set a lap time of 01:01.7311

While this lap was competitive and put the rookie in the Top 20 to start the race, Abel narrowly missed out on another fast lap due to the stationary time in the pits.

Abel will start tomorrow's race in P20 out of the 27-car field

Post-qualifying quote:

"Wow, this car is fun to drive. Overall, it was a good day for the No. 51 car. We had our best qualifying to date, and I feel like there was even more potential out there. We missed our last lap by just a couple of seconds, and I think we could have gained a few more spots on the grid. All in all, a huge thanks to BlueOval SK for coming on board this weekend, and to Honda for all their support."
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Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix – Sunday, June 1, 2025 (FOX)