Note: This series gathers the Inside Line panel to discuss the major storyline surrounding each NTT INDYCAR SERIES team entering the 2026 season. An installment on each team will appear at INDYCAR.com on Fridays.

Sting Ray Robb

Curt Cavin: Rinus VeeKay’s arrival at Juncos Hollinger Racing is certainly the team’s big news for the offseason, but I’m intrigued by – and optimistic for – Sting Ray Robb’s (photo, above) return to the organization. After all, this will be the first time in Sting Ray’s NTT INDYCAR SERIES career that he has worked with the same team for two consecutive years. Previously, Sting Ray worked with Dale Coyne Racing in 2023 and AJ Foyt Racing in 2024, and there aren’t many examples in the sport’s history where a driver has excelled with three different teams in his first three seasons. Remember, Sting Ray was a solid second in the 2022 INDY NXT by Firestone standings – four positions ahead of Christian Rasmussen and seven north of Kyffin Simpson – and he won the Indy Pro 2000 title in 2020. So, he has proven in the lower levels to have what it takes to succeed. Now, let’s see what team consistency does for him.

Rinus VeeKay

Eric Smith: Rinus VeeKay (photo, above) is the clear choice here. He’s betting on himself in 2026 after an impressive 2025 season with Dale Coyne Racing, where he finished 14th in points, the team’s best result since 2019. Instead of returning, he moved to Juncos Hollinger Racing, another small but ambitious group still chasing its first INDYCAR SERIES win. This is a pivotal year. VeeKay believes he can deliver a strong season, but is that enough to position JHR as a springboard with several top-tier rides opening in 2027? If he moves again, it would mark four teams in four years. And from JHR’s perspective, does it want to produce a career year for a driver who might immediately leave, creating a third straight season of turnover? A return in 2027 is possible, but everything depends on what he delivers next season. VeeKay reunites with Ricardo Juncos, who guided him to the 2018 Pro Mazda title and a runner-up finish in the 2019 INDY NXT standings. Their history gives JHR a real foundation. The team’s best points finish remains Callum Ilott’s 16th in 2023, offering VeeKay a clear benchmark to beat.

Paul Kelly: Stability is the biggest storyline surrounding Ricardo Juncos and Brad Hollinger’s team entering the 2026 season. JHR featured Callum Ilott in its cockpit for its first two full-time seasons, in 2022 and 2023. Then Ilott left after 2023 after some unnecessary drama with his rookie teammate, Agustin Canapino, who departed after 2024 after spending his second season with Romain Grosjean, who also left the team. Conor Daly and Sting Ray Robb (photo, top) took over the team’s two seats in 2025, and Robb is the only returnee in 2026. That’s a plus to have at least one driver coming back after two new faces in the seat in 2025. Rinus VeeKay is quite the catch for JHR after reviving his career with a strong season in 2025 with Dale Coyne Racing. He also has pedigree with the team, as Eric said, competing in Pro Mazda and INDY NXT by Firestone with the team at the end of the last decade. Revolving lineups are a fact of life for smaller teams that require drivers to bring funding. But can JHR find enough consistent speed to keep VeeKay past this year in an unchanged lineup with an improving Robb for 2027?