VeeKay and Coyne outshining expectations with top-10 run

Rinus VeeKay is four points behind Colton Herta in the Drivers’ championship. Both drivers have three top 10 finishes from five races, but the Andretti Global veteran and the new Dale Coyne Racing leader live in different zip codes within the IndyCar Series paddock, which makes the Dutchman’s remarkable start to the season such a noteworthy occurrence.

Based on the respective budgets for both teams, VeeKay and Coyne should be sitting 20th in the standings, but they’re 10th, hot on the heels of Herta and ahead of a range of teams and drivers who probably can’t believe they’re being consistently beaten by the scrappy No. 18 Honda crew.

Fresh off another run to ninth place, which is how VeeKay started the season in St. Petersburg, and following their fourth-place finish at Barber, DCR has become a bight light in a year where breakout performances have been rare.

“Awesome strategy,” VeeKay said. “Great job to the whole Dale Coyne Racing team for all the work that got put in overnight to make the car quick. Gave me a great strategy, and all I needed to do was be the quickest guy out there.

“I’m having a lot of fun, we have a really good group of people working together, and we have had a season of just maximizing our position out of the car.

“Pitting as early as we did to undercut everyone was made possible by Honda mileage, which is really good around here. Huge thanks to askROI for making this possible. I’m happy to be getting them some good results these past few weeks.”