INDIANAPOLIS 500 QUALIFYING NOTES – POLE DAY

Starting Positions
7th: RINUS VEEKAY 232.610 mph
17th: ED CARPENTER 232.017 mph
24th: CHRISTIAN RASMUSSEN 231.682 mph

POLE DAY BROADCAST: Sunday, May 26 – 11 a.m. ET (NBC)
TRACK: Indianapolis Motor Speedway Oval
LOCATION: Speedway, Indiana, USA
TRACK LAYOUT: 2.5-mile oval

ED CARPENTER RACING

• Qualifying for the 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500 is now complete with Ed Carpenter Racing driver Rinus VeeKay earning the 7th starting position as part an incredible comeback story. After a crash in his first qualifying run yesterday, the No. 21 askROI Chevrolet crew repaired the car in record time and had VeeKay back in the qualifying line in four hours. He rewarded them with a time good enough to advance to today’s Fast 12.

•  Ed Carpenter, driver of the No. 20 GuyCare Chevrolet and Christian Rasmussen, driver of the No. 33 Chevrolet, both locked in their starting positions yesterday. Carpenter qualified for his 21st Indianapolis 500 and will roll off from the 17th starting position in next Sunday’s 500-mile race. Rookie Rasmussen will make his Indianapolis 500 debut from 24th on the starting grid.

TIM BROYLES, President, Ed Carpenter Racing: “I am really proud of the effort of the whole ECR group and the work that went into putting together solid race cars. A testament to that is to have a car in the Top 12 and two others that were capable of doing that as well. Proud of the effort that Chevy has put in and to be a part of the top eight lockout they have here. Looking forward to getting our race cars back in race trim and continuing preparations for what really matters on Sunday.”

ED CARPENTER, Owner, Ed Carpenter Racing: “It is always a privilege to be a part of these shootouts. The entire team did a great job making improvements. Rinus (VeeKay) and the No. 21 team were able to pass some cars from where they were yesterday which is a positive. The focus now is to put the focus back into the plan for tomorrow and towards the ultimate goal of what it takes to win this race.”

RINUS VEEKAY, NO. 21 ASKROI.COM CHEVROLET

RINUS VEEKAY, No. 21 askROI.com Chevrolet, Starting 7th: “Seventh for the Indianapolis 500 after yesterday’s morning… sick! We were so close and were able to beat some fast cars today. It would have been amazing to make it into the Fast Six, but this was way more than I was expecting. It was a really good team effort to get here. I have won a race here at IMS from seventh before – I don’t want to be superstitious, but it is a statistic.” 

OF NOTE: 

• After one of the greatest comeback stories in recent history, Rinus VeeKay will start from the inside of the third row in next Sunday’s Indianapolis 500. After a crash during his first qualifying run yesterday to advancing to the Top 12 today, VeeKay will start 7th in The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.

• Yesterday, VeeKay began Qualifying Day 1 with an accident during the first lap of his qualifying attempt. The entire Ed Carpenter Racing team quickly went to work to repair the No. 21 AskROI Chevrolet in order to get VeeKay on the time sheets. Under four hours later, the green and black machine rolled out to pit lane for the first of two official qualifying attempts. The first attempt left VeeKay 28th on the pylon, just two spots above the cut line. With just 15 minutes left on the clock, the team elected to withdraw the original time to head to Lane 1 and bypass the 10 cars ahead in the second lane. VeeKay put up a massive opening lap of 233.448 mph followed by three fast laps to secure the 11th position and lock the No. 21 into the Fast 12.

• The 2024 Indianapolis 500 will be VeeKay’s fifth and each of his four previous starts have included a historical milestone. By starting 4th in his first “500” in 2020, he recorded the best qualifying result by a teenager in Indy 500 history. In 2021, he became the youngest front row qualifier ever when he started 3rd and finished a career-best 8th. VeeKay was the fastest on Day 1 of qualifications in 2022 and set what was then the 4th-fastest 4-lap average speed. Records continued to be broken in 2023 and VeeKay’s four-lap average in the Firestone Fast 6 was the 3rd-fastest 4-lap average speed in history. He was also the fastest Chevrolet-powered driver in the field for the 4th consecutive year.

• Born in Hoofddorp, Netherlands, Rinus van Kalmthout began karting in 2009 at the age of 8. With sights set firmly on the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, he transitioned to the Road to Indy in 2017 and launched his U.S. career driving as Rinus VeeKay. Now in his fifth season in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, VeeKay has stepped into a veteran role as ECR’s senior full-time driver. He has spent his entire career behind the wheel of the No. 21 Chevrolet and is the longest tenured full-time driver in the team’s history. 

• The No. 21 Chevrolet will feature askROI.com at select events, including the 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500. askROI aims to redefine the boundaries of generative AI by providing tailored business solutions beyond the conventional scope, adapting to individuals’ or businesses’ specific data. askROI and ECR are actively exploring ways that the team can use AI to increase competitiveness.