QUALIFYING POSITIONS

14th: RINUS VEEKAY No. 21 Chevrolet
21st: ED CARPENTER No. 20 GuyCare Chevrolet 

RACE: Bommarito Automotive Group 500
TRACK: World Wide Technology Raceway
LOCATION: Madison, Illinois, USA
TRACK LAYOUT: 1.25-mile oval
RACE LENGTH: 260 Laps/325 Miles

BROADCAST: Saturday – 5 p.m. CT (USA Network, Peacock)

ED CARPENTER, NO. 20 GUYCARE CHEVROLET

ED CARPENTER, No. 20 GuyCare Chevrolet: ““We are definitely in a better place than we were at this race last year. I am curious to see what it’s like tonight in race trim. The team did a good job at bringing us something better than what we had last year. Christian (Rasmussen) did a rookie test day here and did a really nice job at helping us get more prepared. I am much happier and more comfortable here than I have been the last couple of years. I am looking forward to practice tonight to see what kind of a race we’re going to put on.”

OF NOTE: 

• Ed Carpenter has competed in each NTT INDYCAR SERIES event since it returned to World Wide Technology Raceway in 2017. The short oval is home to his most recent podium finish. In 2019, Carpenter worked his way through the entire field to earn a runner-up finish, missing the top step of the podium by a mere .0399 of a second. He qualified 21st this afternoon for his ninth race at WWT Raceway.

• As the last month of the 2024 season focuses heavily on ovals, Carpenter will compete in four of the final five races this year. Carpenter, who drives the No. 20 in the oval events, while Christian Rasmussen drivers on the road and street courses. Rasmussen will conclude his rookie year next week on the road course at Portland International Raceway. 

• Carpenter is the only individual in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES who handles both the responsibility of driving the racecar while owning and operating his own team. Even now as he competes exclusively on ovals, he has 24 Top 10 finishes since starting Ed Carpenter Racing and has led at least one race for 15 of the last 17 seasons.

• The No. 20 Chevrolet will compete in the colors of GuyCare for the entirety of the 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season. GuyCare clinics provide discreet and confidential care, ensuring men’s health and well-being through proven therapeutic interventions and wellness programs. After successfully opening their first clinic in Salt Lake City, GuyCare is now expanding its service offerings nationwide through the launch of a Telemedicine program. 

RINUS VEEKAY, NO. 21 CHEVROLET

RINUS VEEKAY, No. 21 Chevrolet: “The car felt good, quite similar between practice and qualifying. I think we did the right thing with the balance of the car. Some guys are really quick, but we are in a good position. I’m happy with the two laps, they were consistent. I feel like I hit my marks well and did what I wanted to do. The ECR No. 21 crew gave me a good car and I had the confidence to push those entries, to push flat in (turns) three and four. Chevy gave us some great power, too, so hopefully it hangs in there. I’m satisfied and hopefully we can race well!”

OF NOTE: 

• When Rinus VeeKay competed in his first NTT INDYCAR SERIES race at WWT Raceway in 2020, the weekend was the best of his career to that point with 6th and 4th place finishes. In last year’s event, he narrowly missed out on a Top 10 finish and took the checkered flag in 11th. This afternoon, VeeKay turned the 14th-quickest two-lap average in qualifying for the Bommarito 500. 

•  Prior to the Olympic break, VeeKay put together an impressive string of three Top 10 finishes in eight days. At Iowa Speedway, he drove from 13th to 5th in Race 1 to earn his first Top 5 finish since July of 2022. Race 2 saw him move up from his starting position of 15th to finish 9th. While VeeKay qualified 22nd the following week in the streets of Toronto, he gained 14 positions over the course of the race to finish 8th. 

• VeeKay has earned a the Top 10 of each oval race this season and looks to continue that tomorrow. At the Indianapolis 500, VeeKay and his No. 21 crew rebounded from a crash during his first qualification attempt and not being in the 33-car field to advancing the to the second day of qualifying and earning the 7th starting position. The following week, VeeKay raced his way through the entire field to finish 9th after a penalty dropped him to the back. His first Top 10 finish of the year was at the season opening street course race in St. Petersburg, Florida. 

• 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.