Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin (Sunday, June 22, 2025)
Dale Coyne Racing’s Rinus VeeKay (No. 18 askROI Honda) finds himself in a familiar position, finishing yet again in the top 10 for the fifth time in nine races. Teammate Jacob Abel (No. 51 Abel Construction Honda) ran as high as P5 and was on for his best finish of the season before a loss of power slowed the rookie to P23 out of 27 cars.

Rinus VeeKay – No. 18 askROI, Dale Coyne Racing Honda
Starting the race in P22 on alternate tires, VeeKay stayed out of trouble and remained on track during the Lap 1 yellow period, moving up into P19.

During the following restart, VeeKay received a penalty for jumping the restart, forcing the Dutch driver to drop to the rear. He served this penalty under the Lap 3 yellow, opting to pit after dropping back.

Unfortunately, this pit stop resulted in a drive through penalty on the upcoming restart for pitting after dropping to the rear of the field.

The drive through turned into a blessing in disguise for the No. 18 team, as it placed them on an alternate strategy that ended up becoming beneficial for the team by race end.

VeeKay stayed out during the Lap 10 caution, which moved him up to P8 as most of the field was forced to pit for fuel.

Working up to P4, he pitted during the Lap 22 yellow for fuel and a fresh set of alternate tires, rejoining in P19 but in a stronger fuel position than many ahead.

During the final yellow of the day on Lap 30, VeeKay stayed out again, committing to a fuel save strategy and restarting in P9.

After an eventful stint, he pitted on Lap 39 from P10. That stint included an avoidable contact penalty for contact with another driver and then becoming the victim of another avoidable contact incident himself, nearly ending the 18 cars day.

Finishing the race on alternate tires, VeeKay saved fuel while still fighting for position showing great pace and making passes.

He finished the day in P10, gaining 12 spots and moving into 14th in the points standings. The Coyne team now looks ahead to Mid-Ohio to continue this momentum.

Post-Race Quote:
"Another Top 10, up 12 positions from the start, another good weekend this was a messy one with a lot of cars going off, I was in the mayhem as well, I got hit one time by someone and lost a few posiotns, we had some incredible pace on a big fuel save, the guys on the stand gave me the perfect number and I had the perfect car to hit that number and have good pace. Really good job, we have had top 10 pace at every race but one, that's really promising heading into the crazy month of July, I think we really have a great car and if we keep getting into that top 10 we will get some luck and bring home some hardware. Week off for everybody, 5 top 10s in 9 races and all but one of them we had the pace to be up in the top 10. Huge thanks to my whole team for getting all the pace this season, and huge thanks to askROI for their support and Honda for a motor that can allow me to save fuel so well and still have great pace."

Jacob Abel – No. 51 Abel Construction, Dale Coyne Racing Honda
After starting the race on primary tires, Abel spun on Lap 1 after contact with another driver, resulting in minor damage for the remainder of the race.

During the Lap 1 yellow, Abel pitted to refuel and allow the team to assess and address repairable damage.

He remained focused and showed strong pace despite the damage.

With extra fuel on board, the Coyne team kept him out during the Lap 10 caution, putting him in P5 for the restart.

He pitted again on Lap 20, having demonstrated competitive pace.

When the Lap 22 yellow came out, most of the field pitted while the No. 51 stayed out, moving him up to P12.

Working back into the top 5, the Lap 30 caution gave the team an opportunity to pit again for fuel and fresh tires.

Unfortunately, during the following stint, Abel experienced reduced power due to an engine issue that caused him to fall through the field.

Determined to finish, Abel kept pushing even with limited power and crossed the line in P23—a result not indicative of the pace the No. 51 car had all day.

Post-Race Quote:
"One of these days we will get the result we deserve. We were running great, in the top 5 even at points and we were on the road for at least a top 15 but unfortunalty we had a loss of power that made me fall through the field. Im disapointed because a P23 finish isnt where my team and partners should be after such a great day, but thats racing at the end of the day. This team is building, I can feel it I know the results will come soon."