INDIANAPOLIS — Rinus VeeKay's attempt to qualify for his fifth Indianapolis 500 couldn't have been more eventful last weekend.
The Dutchman crashed during his initial attempt on Saturday, forcing his team to scramble to repair the car in time to make another qualifying run.
The team spent hours working to fix the damaged No. 21 Chevrolet Dallara, and in the end, the team exceeded expectations by not just qualifying for the race, but also being quick enough for the Fast 12.
"It was crazy," VeeKay said about his Saturday qualifying effort. "We risked it all. I was aiming for a top-20, that would have been my goal, but then qualifying that far forward, after what happened that morning was crazy."
VeeKay said the team was thrilled and motivated after qualifying.
"Not just my emotions, but also the whole team, it was such a great pep talk," VeeKay said. "We struggled a bit, especially in the Indy GP, we were kind of disastrous with the pit stops, and this is like the best possible pep talk you could have had for them."
VeeKay said his Ed Carpenter Racing team is "always fast" and that the strong qualifying speed in the face of adversity has helped motivate him.
If he were to win the 108th Indianapolis 500, VeeKay would become just the second driver from the Netherlands to win the race. Arie Luyendyk is the only Dutch driver to win, having scored victories in 1990 and 1997.
"It was 27 years ago, and I wasn't even alive back then," VeeKay said about Luyendyk's 1997 victory.
VeeKay says he considers Luyendyk a friend. The two occasionally go out to dinner together and chat racing and Dutch humor during a race weekend. However, he said they have to be careful with their friendship as Luyendyk is an IndyCar race steward and must appear impartial when handing out race penalties.
"To win the (Indianapolis 500) is my biggest dream right now," VeeKay said. "Not even to run in Arie's footsteps, but winning the Indy 500, just that race, is so crazy. I think for everybody it's number one on the list."
VeeKay said his friendship with Luyendyk would make an Indianapolis 500 victory even more special and that it is always great to have him around.
