IndyCar: Zach Veach signs three-year deal with Andretti Autosport

By Asher Fair | Sep 11, 2017

AVONDALE, AZ - APRIL 28: Takuma Sato of Japan, driver of the #26 Andretti Autosport Honda drives during practice for the Desert Diamond West Valley Phoenix Grand Prix at Phoenix International Raceway on April 28, 2017 in Avondale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

With Takuma Sato departing for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing in the 2018 IndyCar season, that will leave the seat of the #26 Andretti Autosport Honda open. Zach Veach is slated to be the driver to fill it.

Zach Veach, 22, has been in pursuit of a full-time ride in IndyCar for a number of years now. It appears like he will get that opportunity in the 2018 season with Andretti Autosport, and he is reportedly set to do so in Takuma Sato’s Indianapolis 500-winning #26 Honda.

The seat of the #26 Andretti Autosport Honda opened up when Sato agreed to a deal to return to Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing for the first time since the 2012 season. He spent the 2013 through the 2016 seasons driving for AJ Foyt Enterprises before coming to Andretti Autosport this season.

Veach was one of many possible candidates to potentially fill Sato’s seat, but the fact that he will reportedly be the driver who does so does not come as a big surprise. When talking with him at Pocono in 2015, he stated that the Andretti’s were “like family”, and when talking to him at Pocono this year, he said he was “close” to a full-time ride in 2018, although he did not mention with which team. He said we’d know more within about five weeks, and that was just over three weeks ago now.

His deal with Andretti Autosport reportedly runs from the 2018 season through the 2020 season. He is set to become teammates with 2016 Indianapolis 500 champion Alexander Rossi, 2012 IndyCar champion and 2014 Indianapolis 500 champion Ryan Hunter-Reay and 2006 Indianapolis 500 runner-up Marco Andretti, the son of team owner Michael Andretti.

Prior to 2017, Veach had never driven in an IndyCar race before. He made his debut in April at Barber Motorsports Park for Ed Carpenter Racing in a replacement role for JR Hildebrand and finished in 19th place in the race. Then in May, he made his Indianapolis 500 debut driving for AJ Foyt Racing and finished in 26th place after mechanical issues prevented him from actually finishing all 200 laps of the race.

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While Veach has driven just two career IndyCar races before, he has been in Michael Andretti’s sights for quite a while now. He drove for Andretti Autosport in the 2010 and 2011 seasons in the U.S. F2000 National Championship, winning one of his 22 races over two seasons there and finishing in the top 5 in the championship standings both seasons.

Then in the 2012 season, Veach continued driving for Andretti Autosport, this time in the Star Mazda Championship. He did not have the success there that he had in the U.S. F2000 series, but he did manage two podium finishes en route to a 10th place finish in the standings.

While his 2012 season in Star Mazda was not spectacular, he continued his climb up the Road to Indy ladder and drove for Andretti Autosport in 2013 in the Indy Lights Series. He finished on the podium once in 12 races en route to a 7th place finish in the standings.

The 2014 season was Veach’s breakout season. Still driving for Andretti Autosport in Indy Lights, he opened up the season with four straight podium finishes, including two wins. He ended up with three victories and another six podium finishes in 14 races that season en route to a career-high 3rd place finish in the standings.

Unfortunately, a hand injury sidelined him in the 2015 season, but he returned to Indy Lights in 2016 driving for Belardi Auto Racing and had another impressive season, winning three of 18 races and finishing on the podium in another five events en route to a solid 4th place finish in the standings.

Given his deal new deal with Andretti Autosport in the IndyCar Series, it would appear as though Veach’s perseverance and loyalty to the team has paid off. Given his ties to team owner Michael Andretti over the years, it would not be a surprise to see him fit right in with the team and start securing solid results early on.

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What do you think of Zach Veach making the move to become a full-time IndyCar driver with Andretti Autosport? Let us know in the comments below, and be sure to follow along with Beyond the Flag for the latest news, opinions and analysis stemming from a number of different motorsports series. You don’t want to miss any of it. Also be sure to follow Beyond the Flag on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.