IndyCar: Rinus VeeKay in line for Ed Carpenter Racing seat in 2020?

By Asher Fair | Oct 17, 2019

MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 19: Ed Jones #20 of United Arab Emirates and Ed Carpenter Racing Scuderia Corsa Chevrolet drives during testing for the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on September 19, 2019 in Monterey, California. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) /

2019 Indy Lights runner-up Rinus VeeKay has impressed Ed Carpenter Racing in multiple tests. Is he in line to drive for the team in the 2020 IndyCar season?

After testing for IndyCar team Ed Carpenter Racing at Portland International Raceway in August, 2019 Indy Lights runner-up Rinus VeeKay landed himself another test with the Chevrolet team at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course earlier this week.

Just as he did at the the 12-turn, 1.967-mile (3.166-kilometer) Portland International Raceway natural terrain road course in Portland, Oregon, he impressed the team, namely team owner Ed Carpenter, at the 13-turn, 2.258-mile (3.634-kilometer) Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course natural terrain road course in Lexington, Ohio as well.

Could the 19-year-old Dutchman land with Carpenter’s team in the 2020 season?

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VeeKay finished in second place in the Indy Lights championship standings to Andretti Autosport’s Oliver Askew, who secured a $1 million scholarship that guarantees him an entry in three IndyCar races, including the 104th running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, next year.

The 2019 Indy Lights season marked the second season in the last three years to feature a 1-2 finish in the championship standings with Askew as champion and VeeKay as the runner-up in the Road to Indy, as the same took place two years ago in the U.S. F2000 National Championship.

VeeKay went on to win the 2018 Pro Mazda Championship ahead of Askew in third place in the championship standings.

Throughout the 18-race 2019 Indy Lights season, VeeKay won six races and secured an additional eight podium finishes. He closed out the season with two consecutive victories and seven consecutive podium finishes, including three wins. Askew won seven races and secured an additional eight podium finishes throughout the season.

Here is what Carpenter had to say when discussing whether or not VeeKay is in consideration for the team’s 2020 driver lineup, according to RACER.

"“For sure he’s on our radar. In my opinion, I feel like he’s the strongest guy coming out of Lights this year. He was competing against the Andretti Lights team that won everything last year. And, you know, I like Ricardo [Juncos], but for how much of a fight Rinus gave Oliver, I think it was pretty strong.”"

Right now, not much is known about Ed Carpenter Racing’s driver lineup for next season, aside of the fact that Carpenter himself is set to drive the #20 Chevrolet in the five oval races.

The 38-year-old Paris, Illinois native has been the team’s oval specialist since the 2014 season, and he has fielded the #20 Chevrolet for another driver in the road and street course races since that time. That, too, is slated to be the case again in the 2020 season.

Ed Jones (pictured) drove the #20 Chevrolet for the team in the road and street course races in the 2019 season through a partnership with Scuderia Corsa. He is believed to be working on a deal to return to IndyCar again next year, but it is not likely that such a deal would land the 2016 Indy Lights champion a second season with Ed Carpenter Racing.

The team also field the #21 Chevrolet for a full-time driver, and that full-time driver has been Spencer Pigot in each of the last two seasons. The 2015 Indy Lights champion has only managed two 14th place finishes in the championship standings and just one podium finish in 53 starts for the team, including 34 as a full-time driver, but Carpenter spoke highly of him and some of the strides that he has made late in the 2019 season.

There has been no confirmation as it pertains to Pigot’s future with the team.

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After 2018 Indy Lights runner-up Colton Herta landed a ride with Harding Steinbrenner Racing for the 2019 IndyCar season and ended up becoming IndyCar’s youngest ever race winner at the age of 18 and youngest ever polesitter at the age of 19 en route to a seventh place finish in the championship standings, there’s no doubt that Rinus VeeKay could have success even without an Indy Lights title to his name.

With effectively two open seats at Ed Carpenter Racing and VeeKay having tested for the team on multiple occasions now, there is also no doubt that he is in play to land a ride with the team on some level for next year.

Ed Carpenter even said that he feels VeeKay is the strongest driver coming out of Indy Lights this year, and that alone gives the team reason to sign him since there will undoubtedly be other teams interested in doing so if they don’t.

Exactly one year ago today, the team confirmed Ed Jones as their road and street course driver for the 2019 season, solidifying their driver lineup after re-signing Spencer Pigot just over one month earlier. An announcement of some kind for the 2020 season should be in the cards for Ed Carpenter Racing in the near future.

Don’t be surprised to see VeeKay’s name attached to it.