Juncos Hollinger Racing Charges Forward In Detroit

One week after recording the best Indianapolis 500 finish in the team’s history, Juncos Hollinger Racing once again demonstrated good progress as Rinus VeeKay and Sting Ray Robb charged through the field in the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix.

Starting 18th and 24th respectively, the pair gained a combined 16 positions across 100 laps of hard-fought street racing to finish 12th and 14th at Chevrolet’s home event.

VeeKay’s afternoon was particularly notable after contact while running inside the top 15 interrupted an impressive charge that had seen him gain 11 positions during the race.

Finishing as the fourth and fifth highest-placed Chevrolet-powered entries, Detroit provided further evidence of the progress Juncos Hollinger Racing has made across the different circuit types during the opening half of the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season.

How the Race Unfolded

The weekend began with an early setback for the No. 76 Chevrolet after an engine issue in practice limited preparations ahead of qualifying. VeeKay ultimately lined up 18th on the grid, with Robb starting 24th for the 100-lap race around the twists and turns of downtown Detroit.

With tire strategy split throughout the field, VeeKay started on the Firestone primary tire while Robb opted for the alternate compound. Both drivers briefly lost ground on the opening lap, although VeeKay quickly recovered by passing Caio Collet on Lap 3 to regain his starting position.

Both JHR entries completed their opening pit stops before the race’s first caution – on Laps 9 and 10 – which put the drivers right in the heat of the evolving strategy picture. When racing resumed, VeeKay was 18th while Robb had climbed to 21st.

Both drivers steadily worked their way forward and by Lap 31, VeeKay had advanced to 16th while Robb continued recovering ground after being shuffled backwards during the strategy cycle. The No. 77 Chevrolet’s progress continued as Robb reached 14th during the second round of pit stops.

A 7.2-second pit stop on lap 35 – the quickest among the group of cars stopping in that sequence – helped maintain VeeKay’s momentum while underlining the team’s continued progress in pit lane execution.

Following a brief caution soon afterwards, VeeKay emerged as one of the strongest movers in the field. Contact between Felix Rosenqvist and Josef Newgarden sent Rosenqvist into the side of the No. 76 Chevrolet, but VeeKay continued his charge through the order before producing a decisive Detroit-style overtake on Santino Ferrucci to move into 12th.

However, his progress was interrupted on Lap 66 when contact from Ferrucci sent the No. 76 Chevrolet into a spin while running comfortably inside the top 15. Fortunately, VeeKay was able to keep the car running and the immediate caution that followed prevented him from losing too much ground.

The yellow also provided an opportunity for both JHR entries to complete their third pit stops of the afternoon. VeeKay switched onto the primary tire for the run to the finish, while Robb fitted a fresh set of alternates as the team prepared for the final push.

A spate of late-race cautions and restarts compressed the field and created fresh opportunities for both drivers. Following a restart with 17 laps remaining, VeeKay had recovered to 11th while Robb climbed to 14th, placing both JHR entries firmly in contention.

VeeKay later broke into the top 10 with 10 laps to go before a fiercely competitive final run saw the No. 76 Chevrolet ultimately classified 12th at the chequered flag. Robb completed another determined recovery drive to secure 14th after gaining 10 places from his starting position.

The JHR entries finished as the fourth and fifth highest-placed Chevrolet-powered cars at the marque’s home event.

Team Perspective

Rinus VeeKay, No. 76 Chevrolet:

“It was a chaotic race. We stayed out of trouble for the most part, did as much as we could with strategy and managed to pass some cars here and there.

“It was a bit of a tough day, and I don't think we quite had the race pace to move all the way through the pack, but we hung in there and had a clean race overall. The guys did a really good job on pit lane.

“Unfortunately, I got tapped around by Ferrucci about halfway through the race on the lap I was originally going to pit, so that was frustrating. But it is what it is, and I don't think we lost too much from it in the end.

“It was a good effort by everybody this weekend. A solid 12th place for me and 14th for Sting Ray makes for a good, consistent team result here in Detroit.

“Now we're looking forward to Gateway next weekend. A short oval with this team is always exciting, so I'm looking forward to getting there.”

Sting Ray Robb, No. 77 Chevrolet:

“Detroit treated us well finally. I think we ran pretty well in the race and were able to work our way forward through the field. The end got pretty spicy out there, running wheel-to-wheel with everyone else, and that was a lot of fun.

“It was a tough weekend overall, but I think the team did a really good job recovering. With the limited track time we had, we knew we had to adapt, and I think everyone did a great job of that.

“Thank you to the No. 77 crew – hopefully we have a lot more top 15 finishes this year.”

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

“Detroit was a solid race for us and I think there are a lot of positives to take away from it.

“Both cars were dealt a tough blow early in the weekend when we lost a lot of track time through Practice. We would have liked to qualify further up the grid to give us a better opportunity on Sunday, but the reality is that Rinus was only 0.3s off the Fast 12.

“Both drivers did a good job pushing forward throughout the race and they were able to take the fight to the cars ahead. It means a lot to come away from such a chaotic race with points.

“Rinus showed strong pace all afternoon. It’s frustrating because he had worked his way into a really good position before the contact with Ferrucci, and I think there was more to come from the No. 76 car today. But he recovered well and to still finish 12th says a lot about the pace we had.

“Sting Ray also drove a really strong race. He worked the strategy well and to finish 14th from 24th is a great effort from him and everyone on the No. 77 car.

“Thank you to all of our sponsors and guests for their support this weekend, and a huge shout-out to both crews for handling everything this weekend threw at them.

“To come away as the fourth and fifth highest-finishing Chevrolet entries at their home race is encouraging. We know there’s still more to come, but there are plenty of reasons to be positive as we head to St. Louis.”