IndyCar: One driver can continue an amazing Indy 500 streak

A top nine result for IndyCar driver Rinus VeeKay in qualifying for this year’s Indy 500 would extend a remarkable streak.

Ed Carpenter Racing’s Rinus VeeKay is set to enter his third Indy 500 next Sunday afternoon after finishing in 20th place as an IndyCar rookie in 2020 and then eighth in his second season last year.

On both previous occasions, he qualified his #21 Chevrolet in the top two rows, thanks to a strong four-lap qualifying attempt in the first round and then another strong four-lap qualifying attempt in the Fast Nine Shootout around the four-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval in Speedway, Indiana.

In 2020, he started on the inside of the second row in fourth place, and last year, he started on the outside of the front row in third.

In addition to having the chance to qualify toward the front for the third time in three tries this year, he has a chance to get the #21 Chevrolet into the top nine for the ninth consecutive season.

This trend goes all the way back to 2014, when J.R. Hildebrand qualified in ninth place behind the wheel of the #21 Chevrolet.

In 2015, when the car was run by the Ed Carpenter co-owned CFH Racing, the Fast Nine Shootout was called off due to rain and safety concerns, leading to the cars having their power turned down. Josef Newgarden still qualified the car in ninth. Newgarden qualified in the middle of the front row in second place in 2016, just missing out on the pole position.

In 2017, after Newgarden left for Team Penske, Hildebrand returned and qualified in sixth place. After 2017, Spencer Pigot replaced Hildebrand, and in 2018 and 2019, he qualified in sixth and third, respectively.

To put this eight-year streak in perspective, only two other cars have been in the Fast Nine Shootout for each of the last two Indy 500s: the #9 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda of Scott Dixon and the #28 Andretti Autosport Honda of Ryan Hunter-Reay. Neither car was in the Fast Nine Shootout in 2019.

So here’s a list of the active Fast Nine Shootout streaks.

• #21 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet – 8 years
• #9 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda – 2 years
• #28 Andretti Autosport Honda – 2 years
• #26 Andretti Autosport Honda – 1 year
• #20 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet – 1 year
• #48 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda – 1 year
• #10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda – 1 year
• #06 Meyer Shank Racing Honda – 1 year
• #8 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda – 1 year.

Of course, there is no more Fast Nine Shootout in 2022; instead, there is a Fast 12 Shootout, followed by a Fast 6 Shootout.

But even if you only count starts inside the top six, the #21 Chevrolet’s streak still currently sits at six years. The only other active streak of longer than one year belongs to Dixon and the #9 Honda. Dixon qualified in second place in 2020 and took the pole position last year. But in 2019, he started in 18th.

Qualifying for the 106th running of the Indy 500 is scheduled to take place today (11:00 a.m. ET, Peacock) and tomorrow (4:00 p.m. ET, NBC). The race itself is scheduled to take place on Sunday, May 29 (11:00 a.m. ET, NBC).