VeeKay Speeds To First IndyCar Win On Indy Road Course

Rinus VeeKay celebrates after scoring his first career NTT IndyCar Series victory on Saturday on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course. Photo: Chris Owens

The belief always has been there for Rinus VeeKay. Now it has translated into victory.

VeeKay earned his first career NTT IndyCar Series victory Saturday in the GMR Grand Prix on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course in his 19th career start. VeeKay drove his No. 21 Chevrolet to a 4.9510-second victory over pole sitter Romain Grosjean.

Alex Palou rounded out the podium finishers.

“I actually thought it, yeah,” the confident VeeKay said when asked if he believed he could win this 85-lap race. “We had an awesome start to the weekend. I knew we had the car; we were so fast. I’m so happy for the team, so thankful. I couldn’t have done it without them.

“A perfect day. It’s amazing, and thank you to all the fans coming out. Getting my first podium here last year and now winning, it’s a dream.”

VeeKay, 20, became the sixth-youngest winner in IndyCar Series history by delivering Ed Carpenter Racing its first victory since Josef Newgarden won in July 2016 at Iowa Speedway. VeeKay also became the first driver ever to win in the NTT IndyCar Series and in all three rungs of the Road to Indy ladder series – Indy Lights, Indy Pro 2000 and USF2000.

The victory also continued a remarkable opening five races of the 2021 season, with three first-time series winners – VeeKay, Palou (Barber Motorsports Park) and Pato O’Ward (Texas 2) – for the first time since 2013. There also has been a different winner in each race this season.

VeeKay, who was the 2020 series Rookie of the Year, led 33 laps and averaged 116.096 mph. He took the lead for good on lap 65 when six-time series champion Scott Dixon made his final pit stop on a different pit strategy than the leaders.

Then VeeKay managed his gap over Grosjean and traffic over the closing 20 laps as very light rain began to spatter the speedway. The moisture never required a switch to rain tires, but it kept VeeKay and the rest of the 25-driver field atop their respective steering wheels.

VeeKay’s margin over Grosjean was 9.0106 seconds with 10 laps to go. Grosjean, helped by Firestone alternate “red” tires that were three laps fresher than VeeKay’s, sliced that gap nearly in half over the last 10 trips around the 14-turn, 2.439-mile circuit. But he never threatened VeeKay, who also slowed in his final laps to save enough fuel to finish.

“I was not concerned about the fuel,” VeeKay said. “I just hoped the rain was not going to get worse. I’m standing in Victory Lane!”

This was the first podium finish in open-wheel racing since 2015 at Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium, with Lotus in Formula One for rookie Grosjean, who joined Dale Coyne Racing with RWR this year after 10 seasons in F1.

“That’s really a good day,” Grosjean said. “I think we’ve done really good work this weekend. We learned at the start of the race, and we were super fast. We were a bit unlucky with the slower cars and traffic, but P2 in my third IndyCar race is not too bad.”

Fans at IMS serenaded Grosjean with cheers as he was interviewed on pit lane after the race. The Frenchman has gained worldwide acclaim and popularity for his positive attitude after suffering severe burns to his hands last November in a fiery crash at Bahrain that ended his F1 career.

“It’s incredible,” Grosjean said of the crowd. “Bahrain, it was horrible, but for my life it’s been a great experience, and people really are behind me, and I can tell. I can feel it. The support I’m having is incredible. You only see me smiling here in the U.S.”

VeeKay and Grosjean both used the Firestone primary “black” tires for only one stint, but their strategies differed. VeeKay started on primaries from the seventh starting position, while Grosjean led the field to the green flag on alternates from the pole.

That choice allowed Grosjean to rocket to a lead of more than four seconds over Palou before both made their first stops on lap 25.

Grosjean, who led a race-high 44 laps, regained the lead on lap 28 after the field cycled through its stops. He made his second stop on lap 43 and switched to the more durable but less grippy primary tires, handing the lead to Ryan Hunter-Reay on a different pit strategy.

VeeKay had made his second stop on lap 36, with a set of alternate tires. He used the extra grip to pass Grosjean for third in turn 12 on lap 44. But it was a decisive move because Hunter-Reay and Dixon were running 1-2, respectively, but on a different pit strategy.

Dutchman VeeKay made his final pit stop on lap 60, taking alternate tires. Grosjean stopped for the last time on lap 63, also taking alternate tires, but VeeKay stayed ahead of him in turn 1 as Grosjean exited pit lane.

Two-time series champion Newgarden finished fourth, while Graham Rahal rounded out the top five.

Dixon kept the championship lead, 176-163, over second place Palou. Dixon finished ninth today after starting 16th.

It is important to know what is happening around in your life sp that you can treat that and super cialis online have a need of the online pharmacy dropshipping, then just contact Generic Medicine Dropshipper. Taking an overdose of the solution can have an exceptionally negative effect cheapest levitra on your wellbeing. Many couples ignore the importance of sex in their whole span of commander cialis new.castillodeprincesas.com life. It is not as cialis professional australia http://new.castillodeprincesas.com/directorio/seccion/joyeria/ easy as taking a pill. The next NTT IndyCar Series race is the 105th Indianapolis on Sunday, May 30. Practice on the 2.5-mile oval opens Tuesday, May 18.

NTT IndyCar Series
Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course – Indianapolis, IN
GMR Grand Prix – May 15, 2021

1. (7) Rinus VeeKay, Chevrolet, 85, Running
2. (1) Romain Grosjean, Honda, 85, Running
3. (4) Alex Palou, Honda, 85, Running
4. (2) Josef Newgarden, Chevrolet, 85, Running
5. (11) Graham Rahal, Honda, 85, Running
6. (10) Simon Pagenaud, Chevrolet, 85, Running
7. (14) Alexander Rossi, Honda, 85, Running
8. (5) Scott McLaughlin, Chevrolet, 85, Running
9. (16) Scott Dixon, Honda, 85, Running
10. (15) Marcus Ericsson, Honda, 85, Running
11. (12) Will Power, Chevrolet, 85, Running
12. (19) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Honda, 85, Running
13. (8) Colton Herta, Honda, 85, Running
14. (9) Ed Jones, Honda, 85, Running
15. (18) Pato O’Ward, Chevrolet, 85, Running
16. (17) Takuma Sato, Honda, 85, Running
17. (13) Felix Rosenqvist, Chevrolet, 85, Running
18. (22) James Hinchcliffe, Honda, 85, Running
19. (20) Sebastien Bourdais, Chevrolet, 84, Running
20. (24) Dalton Kellett, Chevrolet, 84, Running
21. (25) Juan Pablo Montoya, Chevrolet, 84, Running
22. (21) Charlie Kimball, Chevrolet, 84, Running
23. (3) Jack Harvey, Honda, 84, Running
24. (23) Jimmie Johnson, Honda, 84, Running
25. (6) Conor Daly, Chevrolet, 50, Contact