Arlington Debut Marks Milestone Weekend for Juncos Hollinger Racing
Juncos Hollinger Racing made its first appearance at the new Arlington street circuit as the NTT INDYCAR SERIES staged the inaugural Java House Grand Prix of Arlington in the Texas Live! Entertainment District surrounding AT&T Stadium and Globe Life Field. After a challenging start to the weekend, the team recovered well on race day.
The event also marked a milestone for the team, with Rinus VeeKay making his 100th career INDYCAR start in the No. 76 Chevrolet.
The new 2.7-mile Arlington circuit – now the longest street course on the INDYCAR calendar – proved a demanding challenge across the 70-lap race. With limited running earlier in the weekend, JHR arrived on race day still dialling the cars in to the brand-new layout and the unique nature of the circuit, while strong winds around the track saw the start moved forward by 30 minutes.
How the Race Unfolded
JHR began the race with VeeKay starting 18th and Sting Ray Robb 23rd, both opting for an aggressive early strategy on the red Firestone alternate tires.
The softer compound paid off immediately. By Lap 5, VeeKay had gained six positions to climb to 15th, while Robb moved forward three places to 20th, putting both drivers among the biggest movers in the opening laps.
VeeKay made the first stop for the team on Lap 7 as strategies across the field began to play out. Robb stayed out longer on his first set of alternates and continued to work his way forward through the midfield battle, pitting on lap 12.
Both drivers returned to the red alternates for their second stints as the race approached its middle phase. VeeKay steadily worked his way forward after his stop, climbing through the order and reaching 12th by Lap 22. Robb continued to work through traffic, climbing to 13th after passing Scott Dixon.
The alternates were lasting longer than expected, helped in part by diamond-cut sections of the concrete surface, where rubber gradually filled the grooves and increased grip as the race progressed.
As the stint extended, VeeKay brought the No. 76 Chevrolet to pit lane on Lap 29, switching to black Firestone primary tires for the next phase. Robb ran longer, reaching 14th before making his stop at the end of Lap 31 and rejoining in 24th.
VeeKay pitted again on Lap 49, fitting another set of black Firestone primary tires for the run to the finish. Robb followed on Lap 51.
After rejoining following his stop, VeeKay continued his recovery through the closing stint, climbing to 15th with eight laps remaining after passing Dennis Hauger on Lap 62.
A late caution bunched the field and set up a one-lap shootout to the finish in the closing moments. But no sooner had the race restarted than another caution was triggered following a clash further back in the field, neutralising the race once more.
VeeKay ultimately crossed the line in 14th for JHR, while Robb brought the No. 77 Chevrolet home in 21st after navigating a strategy-heavy race. The team also recorded the second-fastest pit stop of the day, which played a key role for both cars.
Team Perspective
Rinus VeeKay, No. 76:
“We maximised what was a very hard weekend for the team. In the race, with both cars coming from the back, we didn’t get many opportunities with virtually no yellows, so we really had to do it on pace alone.
“We struggled at the beginning of the race, but once we put the primaries on, we found a second wind and made up a lot of ground. The guys in pit lane did a great job, and we were able to jump two cars on the final stop, which made a big difference.
“So P14 at the end - not what we were hoping for - but after the weekend, it was a well-maximised result.”
Sting Ray Robb, No: 77:
“The Arlington race was very exciting. Lots of chaos – actually less than we expected – but that's all right. We still had a pretty decent race.
“I think we were really strong on the red tires the first half of the race, really closed the gap to the cars in front, and we made up a few spots. Then, when we went to the black, we struggled more. So that was unfortunate to end on the weaker tire for us, but I think we learned a lot this weekend.
“We got the No. 77 Goodheart Chevrolet in a much better spot by race time, and the guys all worked very hard. We'll take what we learned here into next year here, and hopefully that will give us some good results on other street courses.”
Dave O’Neill, Team Principal:
“First of all, congratulations to INDYCAR and the event organisers for bringing such an impressive new venue to the calendar. The scale of this event and the work that has gone into creating this circuit in the Texas Live! entertainment district is exceptional, and it’s great to see the series continuing to expand into major markets with events like this.
“It was also a fantastic introduction to INDYCAR for the Arlington fans. The race itself turned into a real thriller, and the atmosphere around the circuit all weekend was incredible.
“It was also a special weekend for our team with Rinus making his 100th INDYCAR start, which is a great milestone for him. He showed a taste of what might have been possible this weekend if we hadn’t been on the back foot earlier, aided by some well-timed pit stops, and the pace had clear echoes of pre-season testing and St. Pete.
“This race also marked the third event in a run of back-to-back races to start the season. With two street circuits and an oval in that stretch we’ve gathered a lot of useful data, and the two-week gap before the next race will give us a good opportunity to reflect and see where we can unlock more of the potential we saw in testing.
“We’d also like to thank Silo for their support of the No. 76 this weekend and for being such a great partner through a busy few days of activations around the event.”