STARTING POSITIONS

20th: RINUS VEEKAY No. 21 BITNILE.COM
22nd: RYAN HUNTER-REAY No. 20 BITNILE.COM

RACE: Gallagher Grand Prix
TRACK: Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course
LOCATION: Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
TRACK LAYOUT: 2.439-mile, 14-turn road course
RACE LENGTH: 85 Laps/207.315 Miles

BROADCAST: Saturday – 2 p.m. ET (USA Network)

RYAN HUNTER-REAY, NO. 20 BITNILE.COM CHEVROLET

RYAN HUNTER-REAY, No. 20 BitNile Chevrolet, Qualified 22nd: “Qualifying is always super close here. Unfortunately, we just got a little loose on our run and had a little bit of rear instability. A few tenths of a second would make all the difference in the world. We’ll keep searching for some grip in warm up and hopefully move forward in the race tomorrow.”

OF NOTE: 

• After this morning’s first and only practice session at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, Ryan Hunter-Reay was assigned to Round 1, Group 2 of qualifying. He completed three laps on black Firestone Firehawks before switching to red tires. His best lap had him 11th in the group, which translates into the 22nd starting position for tomorrow’s Gallagher Grand Prix. 

• Hunter-Reay joined Ed Carpenter Racing as driver of the No. 20 BITNILE.COM Chevrolet prior to the Road America race weekend in June. Hunter-Reay, recognized as one of the most successful American open wheel racing drivers, has brought a wealth of experience to the team with an INDYCAR career that spans two decades. The Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based driver is an NTT INDYCAR SERIES Champion (2012) with 18 career wins, including a victory in the 2014 Indianapolis 500. 

• Hunter-Reay has been a part of each event on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course but two since the NTT INDYCAR SERIES began utilizing the layout in 2014. He has recorded two podium finishes, finishing 2nd in 2014 and 3rd in 2017. Hunter-Reay has been the picture of consistency on the IMS road course, running at the finish of each race in his 11 starts and completing all but one lap.

RINUS VEEKAY, NO. 21 BITNILE.COM CHEVROLET

RINUS VEEKAY, No. 21 BITNILE.COM Chevrolet, Qualified 20th: ““I was pushing so hard, it’s so hard to get it right! My lap time was way down, but it looked like we were going to get through on that last lap. The entry of Turn 10, previous lap it was fine. Last lap, it was too loose and I lost three-tenths or something. It’s a bummer. At this point in the season, advancing for us would mean a lot. It would have been very nice, but unfortunately there was that one moment.”

OF NOTE: 

• Rinus VeeKay was also assigned to Round 1, Group 2 of qualifying. He completed seven laps in the 10-minute session. On his last lap, VeeKay was in contention to advance when the No. 21 BITNILE.COM Chevrolet got loose in the entry of Turn 10. He was not able to improve his time and will start 20th in tomorrow’s Gallagher Grand Prix.  

• 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. VeeKay has spent his entire NTT INDYCAR SERIES career with Ed Carpenter Racing and is the team’s longest-tenured full-time driver, now in his fourth season behind the wheel the No. 21 BITNILE.COM Chevrolet. Earlier this season, the 22-year-old made his 50th career start and qualified on the front row of the Indianapolis 500 for the third consecutive year.

• The Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course is home to many of Rinus VeeKay’s career milestones. In just his second NTT INDYCAR SERIES race, VeeKay recorded his first Top 5 finish on the road course in July of 2020. A few months later in the October event, VeeKay earned his first pole position, led the first laps of his career and earned his first podium finish. In May 2021, he joined the ranks of race winners when he scored his first victory. Last season, VeeKay added another Top 10 finish to his tally with a 6th place in the July race held at the track.