14th: RINUS VEEKAY 01:12.1442 (111.676 mph)
15th: CONOR DALY 01:12.2661 (111.488 mph)

TRACK: WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
LOCATION: Monterey, California, USA
TRACK LAYOUT: 11-turn, 2.238-mile natural road course
RACE LENGTH: 95 laps/212.61 miles

BROADCAST: Sunday – 11:40 a.m. PT (NBC)

CONOR DALY, NO. 20 BITNILE CHEVROLET

CONOR DALY, No. 20 BitNile Chevrolet, Qualified 15th:  “Our qualifying session was a bit chaotic. To produce one lap and just get about a tenth and a half away from transferring was actually a good step forward for us. Last year we struggled here, I’m proud of the team for working really hard on this BitNile car. We’ll just get after it in the race. It’s going to be really interesting with the tire degradation, we have a set of reds that are saved. We’ll see what happens. We were close, definitely close!”

OF NOTE: 

• A red flag abbreviated Round 1, Group 1 of today’s qualifying, leaving Conor Daly with only one chance to turn a lap on red Firestone Firehawks. He made the most of the opportunity, missing a spot in the second round by less than two-tenths of a second. He was 8th at the checkered flag, giving him the 15th starting position in tomorrow’s Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey. 

• Daly has competed in two NTT INDYCAR SERIES events at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, the 2019 and 2021 editions of the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey. Last year, he ran a clean race and fought hard throughout the duration to bring home a 16th place finish. Daly is no stranger to success at Laguna Seca as he won both races of a Super Trofeo doubleheader at the course in 2019, one week before the INDYCAR race.

• BitNile Holdings, Inc. is the primary partner of the No. 20 Chevrolet as part of a multi-year deal. BitNile is a diversified holding company that specializes in disruptive technologies, including cryptocurrency and innovations in the field of Decentralized Finance (“DeFi”). They focus on large-scale crypto mining with energy efficient, powerful operations located in North America and operate their own high-density data center. BitNile invests in technology platforms that provide crypto holders a vehicle to earn interest on their crypto assets. 

RINUS VEEKAY, NO. 21 BITCOIN RACING TEAM POWERED BY BITNILE CHEVROLET

RINUS VEEKAY, No. 21 Bitcoin Racing Team Powered By BitNile, Qualified 14th: “We definitely got better from practice to qualifying, but we should have advanced. A car came out in front of me on my second lap, so even though my time should have improved, it didn’t. It’s a bummer, but we definitely moved in the right direction. We should be in good shape for the warm up tomorrow and we’ve got some good things to try for the race.“

OF NOTE: 

• A mere .045 of a second separated Rinus VeeKay from advancing to the second round of today’s qualifications. On his first lap on a set of red sticker Firestone Firehawks, he shot to the top of the charts. During his second lap, a car exited the pit lane in front of him. He was not able to improve his time, but held on to the 7th position until the end of the session and will start 14th tomorrow. 

• As the 2020 edition of the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey was cancelled, VeeKay has one previous NTT INDYCAR SERIES start at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Last year, he struggled with grip on his opening set of tires and had to switch from a three-stop strategy to a four-stop. In the closing laps, he made up four positions to finish 18th. Prior to joining the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, VeeKay competed in the 2019 Indy Lights doubleheader at the road course and won both races. 

• Through the generosity of BitNile Holdings, Inc. (BitNile), ECR’s Bitcoin Racing Team continued to grow in 2022. Beginning with the Indianapolis 500, VeeKay has driven the No. 21 Bitcoin Racing Team Powered by BitNile Chevrolet. BitNile provided VeeKay the unique opportunity to design the car, allowing him pay homage to his native country of the Netherlands and his Dutch family, friends and supporters. Additionally, any individual who scans the unique QR code on the side of the No. 21 car and completes the registration receives free Bitcoin from Earnity, a community-based crypto platform of which BitNile is a significant investor.