VeeKay optimistic about IndyCar future [UPDATED]

Rinus VeeKay wasn’t expecting to find himself without a job in the NTT IndyCar Series, but the young Dutchman is surprisingly upbeat after Ed Carpenter Racing chose to replace the five-year veteran with 2016 Indianapolis 500 winner Alexander Rossi in late September.

“I'm doing well,” VeeKay told RACER. “The first week was a bit tough to digest. You know, it was a bit unexpected, just the whole situation going on. But I'm always a positive person. After a few days, it was just me looking forward to the future. And of course, Adrian (Sussman, his manager) has been calling everybody to make sure we look at every possible opportunity. And I'm positive about the future; I'm not worried at all.

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“It takes a bit of hard work. It's a situation I've never been in. But with me right now, being 24 years old, having done 80 races in IndyCar, I think that's quite valuable, especially with my Indy 500 record. I think the teams that that will have an opportunity know I’m not a paying a driver, so I'm very confident about the possibilities.”

The winner of the 2021 Grand Prix at Indianapolis is encouraged by the discussions being held with prospective teams. He stayed over in Indianapolis after this week's meeting between IndyCar and its drivers to attend the Thursday-Friday test at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The decision was beneficial, as Dale Coyne Racing will put him in its car on Friday.“There's been a lot of shared interests,” VeeKay said. “There's some quite good talks. And I think we're looking pretty good, honestly.”

Adding in some IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship events to his next racing calendar would be a welcome option, but VeeKay is primarily focused on getting back to open-wheel competition.

“It's now head down to IndyCar,” he said. “I'm open to doing something like IMSA, but my primary interest is to do a full season of IndyCar. And I feel like IndyCar is one of those series where, if you're out for season, you need at least a season to catch back up with it being that competitive. So I want to be in there full-time. I should be in there full-time.”

With Louis Foster signed to Rahal Letterman Lanigan, few seats remain open for next year. RLL has yet to announce who will drive its third car, which was occupied by Pietro Fittipaldi last season, and from there, it's Dale Coyne Racing with two unclaimed cars and Juncos Hollinger Racing with a pair of entries that do not have drivers named for 2025. PREMA Racing has its second driver to announce after confirming Callum Ilott, but it's not open to VeeKay.

This story has been updated to include VeeKay's scheduled test with Dale Coyne Racing.