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Rinus VeeKay

Driver – #21

Raised in Hoofddorp, Netherlands, Rinus van Kalmthout began karting in 2009 at the age of 8. With sights set firmly on the pinnacle of North American open wheel racing, he transitioned to the Road to Indy in 2017 and launched his U.S. career driving as Rinus VeeKay. His rapid ascent through the RTI ranks included 16 wins and 36 podiums in 48 races. Just four years into his career in the United States, VeeKay not only reached the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, but earned 2020 Rookie of the Year honors.

VeeKay is the longest-tenured full-time driver in Ed Carpenter Racing’s 12-year history and will remain the behind the wheel of the No. 21 Chevrolet for the 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season. He joined the ranks of Indy car race winners in May of 2021 with a victory at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course and earned his most recent pole position at Barber Motorsports Park this past season. VeeKay, now 23, holds records for the best qualifying result by a teenager in Indy 500 history and the youngest front row qualifier ever. He has started on the front row of the Indianapolis 500 the past three years and has been the fastest Chevrolet-powered driver in the field for four consecutive years.

A dedicated athlete, VeeKay devotes much of his off-track time to training. The 23-year-old recently became a newlywed, marring his longtime girlfriend Carmen. The two reside in their new home in Fort Lauderdale, FL.

Fast Facts

Birthdate: September 11, 2000
Hometown: Hoofddorp, Netherlands
Residence: Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA
Spouse: Carmen

Website: RinusVeeKay.com
Twitter: @rinusveekay
Instagram: @rinusveekay

Starts: 64
Wins: 1
Poles: 2
Top 5 Finishes:
 8
Top 10 Finishes:
20

Best Start: 1st (IMS Road Course, 2020, Barber 2022)
Best Finish: 
1st (IMS Road Course, 2021)

Updated 3/11/24

Career Highlights

NTT INDYCAR SERIES Career History

– Will remain full-time driver of the No. 21 for 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season

– Fourth season as full-time driver of the No. 21 Chevrolet
– Set the 3rd-fastest 4-lap average speed in the history of the Indy 500
– Started on front row of the Indy 500 for the third year in a row; qualifying 2nd
– Fastest Chevrolet-powered driver for fourth consecutive year
– Led 24 laps of the Indianapolis 500 and earned Top 10 finish
– Earning his best finish of the year in the second-to-last race of the season with a 6th place at Portland

– Third season as full-time driver of the No. 21 Chevrolet
– Earned second career pole position at Barber Motorsports Park and finished 3rd
– Set fastest four-lap average on first day of Indy 500 qualifying; stands as 4th-fastest ever
– Started on front row of the Indy 500; qualified 3rd for second year in a row
– Fastest Chevrolet-powered driver for third consecutive year
– Recorded a Top 6 finish on each type of track the NTT INDYCAR SERIES competes on – street course, road course and oval

– Full-time driver of Ed Carpenter Racing’s No. 21 Chevrolet
– Earned first career victory on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course in May
– Became the youngest front row qualifier in the history of the Indianapolis 500 by starting 3rd
– Led 32 laps of the Indy 500, the third-highest of all drivers in the field
– Claimed podium finish with 2nd place in Detroit Race 1

– 2020 NTT INDYCAR SERIES Rookie of the Year, winning the title by merely starting the season finale
– Won first NTT INDYCAR SERIES pole position at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course in October, leading his first race and finishing a career-best third place
– Earned best oval finishes of 6th and 4th in a doubleheader at WWT Raceway
– Started 4th in Indianapolis 500, the highest qualifying result by a teenager in ‘500’ history
– Only Chevrolet-powered driver to make the Fast Nine Shootout for the Indianapolis 500 pole position
– Claimed first Top 5 finish in only his second race, finishing 5th at the IMS Road Course in July

Road to the NTT IndyCar Series

– Finished second in the Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires title chase, with six victories, seven poles and 14 podium finishes
– Won the F3 Asian Winter Series championship with four victories, two pole positions and eight podium finishes in nine races
– Tested an Indy car with Ed Carpenter Racing at Portland International Raceway and Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course

– Earned the Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires title with seven victories, six poles and 10 total podium finishes
– Set four new series track records
– Finished third in the MRF Challenge Formula 2000 Championship held in the Arabian Gulf states and India, with three victories and 11 podiums in 16 races
– Competed in two BOSSGP FIA International Racing Series Open Class races, with a second-place finish at Monza

– Finished a hard-fought second in his rookie Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship campaign
– Claimed three victories, three new track records and a total of 12 podium finishes out of 14 races
– Was the only USF2000 driver to not finish a race lower than he qualified
– Finished runner-up in the BOSSGP FIA International Racing Series Open Class with five podium finishes in six races and a win in the final race at Imola (Italy)
– Finished third in the MRF Challenge Formula 2000 series, with two victories, seven podium finishes, four pole positions and five fastest laps in 12 races
– Made his Indy Lights debut in the Chris Griffis Memorial Test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, finishing in the top five in each session and twice posting the fastest lap

– Finished third in the IAME Super X30 Euro Series
– Finished third in the BNL Karting Series Rotax MAX Senior class and fourth in the European Rotax MAX Euro Challenge Senior championship
– Participated in the Chris Griffis Memorial Mazda Road to Indy test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway

– Finished second in the European Champion Rotax MAX Senior championship
– Finished second in the Rotax US Open Senior MAX championship and third in the BNL Karting Series Senior class
– Won the MAXSpeed/Mazda Road to Indy Driver Advancement Program, earning a USF2000 test at Circuit of The Americas where he was third overall and the fastest rookie

– Finished third in the CIK-FIA Karting Academy World Championship
– Named a KNAF Talent First selection

Won the Dutch Rotax Max Juniors Karting Championship

– 2013 Dutch Rotax Max Juniors Karting Champion
– Won the 2012 Dutch Rotax Max Minimax Karting Championship
– Earned both the Dutch and Benelux World Formula Karting Championship in 2011
– Claimed the Dutch Winter championship in the Cadet class during the 2009-2010 season

Next Race

Streets of Long Beach

April 21, 2024 • 3 p.m. ET

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