Dale Coyne Racing are the only IndyCar team with a seat left to fill for the 2025 season, and all signs point toward the team bringing in a second full-time driver to drive the No. 18 Honda after signing 2024 Indy NXT runner-up Jacob Abel to pilot the No. 51 Honda.
A second full-time driver for Dale Coyne's team, which ran nine different drivers in two cars during what was their first season without a full-timer since 2015 last year, would mean that all 25 chartered entries – and all 27 full-time cars – are set to be driven by full-time drivers in 2025.
For a moment, it appeared as though that was indeed confirmed to be the case. And it still might be.
Rinus VeeKay to Dale Coyne Racing?
Rinus VeeKay lost his ride with Ed Carpenter Racing after five seasons following the 2024 campaign, with 2016 Indy 500 winner Alexander Rossi set to replace him.
VeeKay is Ed Carpenter's most recent race winner, winning at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course in 2021, and was widely considered one of the top free agents on the market after a strong finish to the 2024 season.
The problem, as it tends to be in America's premier open-wheel racing series, is that there simply were not many seats left available when Rossi was confirmed as VeeKay's replacement alongside Christian Rasmussen.
But VeeKay tested with Dale Coyne Racing at the Indianapolis oval following the 2024 season, and after a strong showing, he has long been considered among the frontrunners to land with the Honda-powered team for either a partial or complete 2025 schedule.
On Thursday, Dale Coyne Racing appeared to publish a news release, stating that they had signed VeeKay for the full 2025 season. Pictured were VeeKay and Coyne shaking hands.
Dale Coyne core, accidentally announcing Rinus Veekay then quickly taking down the announcement #INDYCAR pic.twitter.com/rW4XhXXJvg
— . (@oqoqoowxkjxnn) February 14, 2025
However, that post no longer exists on their website. But hopefully the news was simply shared prematurely, and this partnership does indeed come together.
In VeeKay's Road to Indy and IndyCar career, he has never been beaten by a teammate in points finishers or head-to-head finishes.
And though Dale Coyne Racing, which have ironically become known for waiting until the last minute to confirm their driver lineup, are one of the smallest teams on the grid, they have managed at least one podium finish in all 11 of the seasons in which they have run at least one full-time driver since 2012.
The 2025 IndyCar season is scheduled to get underway on Sunday, March 2 with the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida. Fox is set to provide live coverage beginning at 12:00 p.m. ET to kick off the network's first year as the series' exclusive broadcast partner. Start a free trial of FuboTV and don't miss it!