Rinus VeeKay knows how to get around the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval quickly.

As a rookie in 2020, the Dutch driver (photo, above) set the record for the best starting position by a teenager in Indianapolis 500 history when he qualified fourth at age 19.

That launched a strong run of qualifying results at Indianapolis. VeeKay qualified on the front row in each of the next three years, including a second-place start in 2023. He started seventh in 2024.

VeeKay produced five top-seven starting spots in five Indianapolis 500 attempts with Ed Carpenter Racing before joining Dale Coyne Racing last season.

DCR struggled throughout the Month of May in 2025. VeeKay qualified 33rd, while teammate Jacob Abel was the lone driver bumped from the field of 33. VeeKay moved to 31st on the starting grid after Josef Newgarden and Will Power were sent to the rear for technical infractions before qualifying.

This season, VeeKay drives the No. 76 Wedbush – JHR – DRR Chevrolet for Juncos Hollinger Racing and believes last year’s qualifying result was an anomaly.

“I have always liked qualifying here,” VeeKay said. “Last year wasn't my greatest start, but I think here with JHR, Conor (Daly) started in the Fast 12 last year, and I think we got a shot to do it again.”

Conor Daly qualified 13th last year before moving up to 11th after the Team Penske penalties. He finished eighth in the race.

VeeKay has that car. He was 15th fastest Wednesday (225.091 mph) but 10th on the non-tow list.

“We got data from previous years,” VeeKay said. “We kind of know how this track behaves. The team uses their data, but I’ve got my mental data that I can use. I’ve got all my marks; I know what it should feel like around this place. I would say the JHR car was very much on par with the better years of ECR.”

Still, last year’s struggles reshaped his perspective entering this May.

“Honestly, I’ve had a lot of good ‘500s’, but having one where you’re really struggling with a car that’s sketchy and slow teaches you a lot,” VeeKay said. “Confidence-wise, knowing I’m in a better place this year after overcoming that. It’s an overwhelming track with high speeds, totally different from what we do race to race. Confidence-wise, it’s really high because it’s not going to get as hard as last year.”

Katherine Legge

Legge To Attempt ‘Double’

Katherine Legge announced Wednesday she will become the first woman to attempt “The Double” by competing in both the 110th Running of the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday, May 24.

With 33 cars entered for 33 spots, Legge (photo, above) should be safe to race in the Indianapolis 500 in the No. 11 e.l.f. Cosmetics Chevrolet fielded by HMD Motorsports and A.J. Foyt Enterprises with a smooth, incident-free buildup to the race.

Her NASCAR start is not guaranteed. Legge still must qualify the No. 78 e.l.f. Cosmetics Chevrolet for Live Fast Motorsports into the 600-mile race at Charlotte Motor Speedway because the team does not own a charter.

Legge, 45, explained why the timing felt right to attempt the challenge.

“This has been a couple of years in the making,” Legge said. “I knew that at some point in time it would be something that we looked at doing but didn't anticipate it this year. I think it's a very cool opportunity that kind of came up.

“Getting Indy lined up was our first domino. Then, there was a lot of talk about it. And we thought, ‘Well, why not?’ It might be the only opportunity I get. I might as well take it while the iron is hot. It’s one of those really cool things that not many people get to do.”

Legge last competed in the Indianapolis 500 in 2024 with Dale Coyne Racing. She becomes the sixth driver to attempt both races in one day, joining John Andretti, Robby Gordon, Tony Stewart, Kurt Busch and Kyle Larson.

No driver has won both races on the same day, and Stewart remains the only competitor to complete every lap of both events, doing so in 2001.

“The first aim is to finish both races,” Legge said. “I'm hoping to have a good result in Indy. Charlotte will be my first time there in a Cup car. I’m still relatively new, so I think finishing that race would be a good result. If I could finish both of them, I think we would have had a really good weekend.”

Legge said she already has helicopter transportation arranged and is finalizing plane travel from Indianapolis to Charlotte. She also believes her background in endurance racing will help prepare her for the demanding day.

A veteran of 12 attempts at the Rolex 24 At Daytona, Legge compared the challenge to a long endurance-racing stint schedule.

“I was thinking about it and it's like doing a triple stint at Sebring and then waiting a few hours and getting back in and doing another triple stint,” Legge said. “It's probably way more excessive than that, but I'm trying to figure out what I'm going to eat more. I'm going to be hungry, of all the things.”

Santino Ferrucci

Ferrucci Ahead of Schedule

Santino Ferrucci completed 53 laps during Opening Day practice Tuesday, posting a best speed of 222.930 mph in the No. 14 Homes For Our Troops Chevrolet for A.J. Foyt Enterprises.

He completed 102 laps Wednesday with a top speed of 225.594, good enough for ninth.

While the speed itself was not eye-catching, the lap total was.

Ferrucci (photo, above) is well ahead of where he stood at this point the last two years.

On Day 2 of the last two years, Ferrucci ranked 33rd on lap count in both instances, completing 26 laps in 2025 and 22 laps in 2024.

Ferrucci spent much of the last two opening weeks battling his race car. He completed only 90 laps entering qualifying weekend last year and 102 in 2024.

He has 155 already in two days this week.

Still, he turned those difficult starts to the week the last two years into a sixth-place starting spot and eighth-place finish in 2024, then climbed from 15th to fifth last year, two of his seven top-10 finishes in as many Indy 500 starts.

Ferrucci believes the team is positioned well heading into the Indianapolis 500 with a smoother opening two days and could threaten his best finish of third in 2023, his first season with Foyt.

“Everything's been going really well so far,” Ferrucci said. “Everything has been smooth. We're super far ahead of our program. Just excited to get out there and try and run 100 laps a day or something like that.”

Carson Hocevar

Hocevar Visits IMS

Carson Hocevar became the second NASCAR Cup Series driver in as many days to visit Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Cole Custer of Haas Factory Team visited with Felix Rosenqvist and Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian on Tuesday, while Hocevar (photo, above, left) spent time with Andretti Global on Wednesday.

Hocevar, 23, drives for Spire Motorsports in the NASCAR Cup Series, which is owned by TWG, the same parent company as Andretti Global.

He won April 26 at Talladega Superspeedway, his first career Cup Series victory. With more Cup success, a path to the “500” could emerge.

In the days following his Talladega victory, Hocevar made it clear that Indianapolis Motor Speedway was on his mind. He called the Indianapolis 500 “by far the coolest race” and said competing in it remains his ultimate racing goal.

That’s why this Wednesday visit could sprout to more in the future for the two-time Brickyard 400 starter.

“It’s really fun for me to come here,” Hocevar said. “I’ve been living vicariously, cosplaying as an Indy 500 driver every time I run the Brickyard 400 here. I get to act the part a little more.

“I would absolutely love to do it one day and enjoy it.

“I just love this race. I don’t know what it is. It’s my favorite track to just watch races. It’s my favorite month. It’s the story of it. There’s always a storyline through the whole month of May.”

Odds And Ends

  • Alex Palou said the significance of winning last year’s Indianapolis 500 became more real once fans returned to the Speedway this month. One reminder came while signing tickets featuring his image as the defending winner. “It’s nice to sign my own face instead of someone else’s,” Palou said. He was second fastest Wednesday in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda after being the fastest on Opening Day.
  • Christian Lundgaard said seeing his Sonsio Grand Prix victory photo displayed behind the Pagoda carried special meaning. IMS traditionally showcases images of recent race winners in that location. “The only pride I have is having my face hanging on the Pagoda,” Lundgaard said. “I’m here to win all of it. I’m here to do what Alex (Palou) is doing.”
  • Scott Dixon said his son, Kit, has been at the track this month and already wanted to know when he could drive the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. “He thought he was racing,” Dixon said. “He goes, ‘When do we go on the track?’ And I’m like, ‘I’m going to go out now.’”
  • Scott McLaughlin underwent an engine change Tuesday night in the No. 3 Pennzoil Team Penske Chevrolet. McLaughlin completed 28 laps on the opening day of Indianapolis 500 practice, then logged 82 laps Wednesday with the fresh engine and a top speed of 226.173 mph, good for seventh overall.
  • Alexander Rossi, the 2016 Indy 500 winner, underwent an engine change at the conclusion of Day 2 of Indianapolis 500 practice in the No. 20 Java House Chevrolet for ECR. Rossi completed a field-high 116 laps on opening day and ranked 13th fastest overall. He was 21st fastest on Wednesday after turning 59 laps.
  • Ryan Hunter-Reay, the 2014 Indy 500 winner and 2012 series champion, battled mechanical issues on opening day and completed only 27 laps. He said his Arrow McLaren team is a day behind on its checklist but was encouraged after climbing to 25th on Wednesday at 224.063 in the No. 31 PrizePicks Arrow McLaren Chevrolet.
  • Graham Rahal spent much of Wednesday near the bottom of the speed charts, but the No. 15 United Rentals Honda team at Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing made changes in Gasoline Alley before returning to the track during Happy Hour. Rahal responded by jumping to fourth overall with a lap of 226.835.
  • Thursday’s practice session from noon-6 p.m. ET marks the final day using Race Day boost levels before teams receive increased turbocharger boost for Fast Friday and qualifying weekend.