Juncos Hollinger Racing Returns to Milwaukee Podium with VeeKay’s First Oval Top Three

Juncos Hollinger Racing returned to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES podium at the Milwaukee Mile today as Rinus VeeKay produced a remarkable drive from P24 to P3 to claim the first oval podium of his IndyCar career.

It was JHR’s second IndyCar podium and both have now come at Milwaukee. Conor Daly climbed from P25 to P3 at the track in 2024 to claim the team’s first, with VeeKay adding another two years later, charging from P24 to P3 in the rain-delayed opening race.

The result capped an extraordinary weekend which saw Saturday’s opening race suspended overnight after 90 laps because of rain, further bad weather on Sunday and Race 2 completed before Race 1 finally resumed late on Sunday afternoon.

By the end of the ‘24 Heures du Milwaukee’, JHR had delivered one of its strongest weekends of the season, with VeeKay adding a seventh-place finish in Race 2 after briefly leading the race.

Race 1

VeeKay qualified the No. 76 ARCO Chevrolet P19 but incurred a nine-place grid penalty for an unapproved engine change and ultimately started P24. Sting Ray Robb was similarly moved from P23 to P25 in the No. 77 KONG Chevrolet.

After rain initially delayed Saturday’s start, VeeKay immediately began working his way through the field. He was P17 by Lap 3 and P12 by Lap 10 before passing Grosjean for P10 on Lap 38.

Rain returned around Lap 65, bringing out the caution as sweepers attempted to keep the racing line clear. Conditions continued to deteriorate and the race was red-flagged on Lap 90, with VeeKay P10 and Robb P20.

Unable to restart on Saturday, the remainder of the race was postponed until Sunday. Further rain the next morning meant Race 2 was ultimately run first, leaving the completion of Race 1 until later in the afternoon.

When racing resumed, VeeKay picked up where he had left off, gaining three positions shortly after the restart before passing Malukas and then Rossi for P6 on Lap 104. Pit stops and cautions shuffled the order, but he continued to fight his way back towards the front and was again P6 by Lap 166.

After his fifth stop on Lap 192, a caution on Lap 200 brought the sweepers back out in an effort to open the third lane. VeeKay passed Rosenqvist for P6 on Lap 213, moments before another full-course yellow when Collet hit the wall.

With 25 laps remaining, VeeKay went higher than anyone else on the restart, passing Lundgaard for P5 before getting past Armstrong for P4. With four laps to go, he passed McLaughlin for P3 to complete an extraordinary 18-position climb and secure his first IndyCar oval podium.

Robb battled through the interrupted race from P25, climbing to P20 before Saturday’s red flag. A gearshift issue added to the challenge following Sunday’s restart, with the No. 77 KONG Chevrolet eventually finishing P22.

Race 1 Quotes

Rinus VeeKay, No. 76 ARCO Chevrolet:

“Yeah, podium, baby! Really, really happy. After three fourth-place finishes this season, a podium feels incredible.

“It was a bit of an interesting one, having to restart a race a day later on used tires, but it worked out really well. I think the strategy was really good and the car felt incredible in the brutal conditions here.

“Big shout out to the No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Racing crew. It was also really cool to be part of the second all-Chevy podium of the season.

“A big thank you to Chevy as well for giving me everything and all the power to make those passes and get up to third.”

Sting Ray Robb, No. 77 KONG Chevrolet:

“Part two of Race 1 was rather disappointing. Starting a lap down because of us pitting right away cost us everything. There’s only so much you can do from a lap down compared to the rest of the field, and we never got that back. We got lucky with some yellows, but unfortunately it wasn’t enough.

“The car was the best we’d had it all weekend and we made some good changes to it. We were just too far down the order to really do anything with it.”

 Race 2

VeeKay also produced one of his strongest drives of the season in Race 2, charging from P12 into the lead before finishing seventh.

The No. 76 ARCO Chevrolet was on the attack immediately, with VeeKay passing Lundgaard, Armstrong, Dixon, Rosenqvist, Power and McLaughlin to surge six places to P6 in the opening stages.

The first caution came when Grosjean spun on Lap 35. Both JHR cars stopped before racing resumed on Lap 45, when VeeKay continued his charge with a three-wide move past Foster and Schumacher.

By Lap 77 he was P2 after passing Newgarden on the inside. VeeKay continued to close on championship leader Palou and took the lead on Lap 100 before Palou regained the position on Lap 125. 

Tire degradation became a defining factor as the race developed, with tires lasting less than many teams had anticipated. VeeKay ultimately made five stops and Robb six. Gusty and unpredictable winds added another challenge.

VeeKay continued to fight forward through the closing stages, passing Dixon, Malukas, Foster and Rasmussen to secure P7.

Robb also made progress from P23, climbing as high as P17 and cycling to P2 during the pit sequence. He managed to avoid Grosjean when he spun directly ahead following the Lap 158 restart and eventually finished P18.

Race 2 Quotes

Rinus VeeKay, No. 76 ARCO Chevrolet:

“Pretty good race, I think. Race 2 that was actually race one, but they called it Race 2 because it was scheduled to be Race 2, but it’s actually the first race we finished!

“Anyway, I think we had a good first part of the race. We moved forward and moved into the lead at one point, around 100 laps in. Unfortunately, we lost some time at a few pit stops and just dropped back a little. We moved forward a bit on the restarts again and got a better stop there at the end.

“I think we had a lot more today than seventh for that race, but we learned some stuff on strategy as well going into Race 1. The car felt good.

“I was excited to go out again and finish Race 1, restarting 10th and with the hope of some hardware because we deserve it as a team at this point. If there’s one place to do it, it’s Milwaukee.”

Sting Ray Robb, No. 77 KONG Chevrolet: 

“Race 2 was a bit of a tough one. I think our balance was just tricky. Everyone struggled a little bit with tire degradation, but finding a way to get through the field was tough for us.

“I don’t think our strategy helped either, so I think we can make some good adjustments going forward.”

Dave O’Neill, Team Principal, Juncos Hollinger Racing:

“What a weekend. To come away with a podium is a fantastic result and I’m incredibly proud of everyone.

“Rinus was outstanding. Going from 24th to third in Race 1 was a tremendous drive and, having also gone from 12th into the lead in Race 2, he showed just how competitive we were here all weekend.

“There’s clearly something about Milwaukee for this team. Our first IndyCar podium came here with Conor in 2024, from 25th on the grid, and now Rinus has gone from 24th to give us our second. For both of the team’s podiums to have come here, and after a similar fightback, is pretty special.

“It’s also Rinus’s first podium on an oval, which I know means a lot to him and is so incredibly deserved. It also puts him back into P10 in the standings, which was one of our main objectives coming into Milwaukee.

“It was a demanding weekend with the weather and changing schedule, so huge credit to everyone at INDYCAR and the Milwaukee Mile, as well as our drivers and crews, for getting both races completed.

“We knew from the test that we had a competitive car here. We’ve shown that across both races and it’s great to finally come away with the result to show for it.”