Race Weekend Central

Rinus VeeKay Joins Ed Carpenter Racing for Full 2020 Season

Ed Carpenter Racing Wednesday morning (Nov. 20) that 19-year old Rinus van Kalmthout, better known as Rinus VeeKay, will join the team for the full 2020 NTT IndyCar Series season. The Dutch teenager, who finished second in the 2019 Indy Lights standings, will replace Spencer Pigot in the No. 21 Chevrolet.

“It’s a dream come true and something we have worked extremely hard for over the last couple of years,” VeeKay said in a press release on the team’s website. “I would like to thank Ed Carpenter and his partners for this great opportunity and trust. The number of available seats in the NTT IndyCar Series is very limited, so it’s a great honor that they have chosen me to join their team.”

VeeKay will bring some personal sponsorship to the team.  Likely the most visible of this group is JUMBO, a chain of supermarkets in The Netherlands, and La Place, a Dutch restaurant chain that is a subsidiary of JUMBO.  JUMBO is a privately held company led by CEO Frits van Eerd, who also races in the FIA World Endurance Championship for Racing Team Nederland.  VeeKay also has additional sponsorship from Basic-Fit and and KNAF TeamNL.

VeeKay comes to Ed Carpenter Racing after posting six victories in 18 races during the 2019 Indy Lights season, with seven poles and 14 podium finishes.

“I have been following Rinus’s path through the Road to Indy, especially the past two years,” team owner Carpenter said. “It was clear to me that he deserves to be in an IndyCar.”

Carpenter will again drive the No. 20 on ovals, while a road and street course driver has not been named yet.

About the author

Wesley has been with Fronstretch since October 2017. He loves well-told stories in whatever format he finds them. Aside from NASCAR, he enjoys reading, country music and OKC Thunder basketball. He has a BA in Liberal Arts/English and currently lives in eastern Oklahoma, where he works as a freelance writer/editor.

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