Rinus VeeKay is staying put after reaching a multi-year deal to remain with Ed Carpenter Racing.
On Thursday, the team announced the 21-year-old Dutchman will remain the pilot of its No. 21 Chevrolet-powered entry for the 2023 NTT IndyCar Series season, which will mark VeeKay’s fourth consecutive year with the outfit.
“I am very excited to continue with Ed Carpenter Racing for what will be my fourth year in the NTT IndyCar Series! Ed Carpenter gave me the opportunity to drive for the team when I came out of Indy Lights and has let me showcase my talents in an Indy car ever since,” VeeKay stated. “The continuity at ECR is great, there have barely been any changes in my time here and it’s very nice to have the same group of people around me all the time. We have been stepping up our game every season and with the support of Todd Ault and BitNile, we can really move forward as we head into 2023.”
VeeKay earned IndyCar Rookie of the Year honors in 2020 after claiming his first-ever pole and podium. The following season at the GMR Grand Prix on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, he stormed to his first career win.
“I am so happy to be able to extend our relationship with Rinus, he is an extremely versatile and talented driver,” stated Carpenter. He continued, “It has been and remains our hope to build our team to new heights with Rinus helping lead the charge. Our goals and expectations are to win races and to compete for championships. With Rinus’s growth and the support from BitNile and Todd Ault, we are primed for success.”
In 2022, his third season in North America’s premier open-wheel championship, VeeKay currently sits 11th in the championship standings with a pole and podium at Barber Motorsports Park, along with two fourth-place finishes in his last five races.
“I really want to thank Ed, Tony George, Stuart Reed for giving me the opportunity to continue with ECR. The entire team deserves my gratitude, everyone out in the race shop that works so hard every day to make me fast on track,” VeeKay said.
“We still have a season to finish this year, but it’s great to know future plans. It motivates me, the team and everyone around us to get more great results before we focus on next year!”
