Juncos Hollinger Racing records solid finish at Long Beach

Juncos Hollinger Racing returned to the Streets of Long Beach for Round 5 of the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season, as the championship visited one of its most iconic street circuits.

‍Over the 90-lap contest, Rinus VeeKay delivered a measured drive to finish 13th, also recording the fastest lap of the race, while Sting Ray Robb made progress to bring the No. 77 Chevrolet home in 23rd following a strategy-focused race.

Qualifying took place under the updated 2026 street course format, with VeeKay progressing from Group 1 into Round 2 before setting the 12th fastest time. Robb also showed encouraging pace but was unable to advance through to the next round.

The 1.968-mile, 11-turn temporary street circuit once again proved a demanding challenge, with track position and strategy playing a decisive role throughout the race.

How the Race Unfolded

Juncos Hollinger Racing lined up with VeeKay 12th and Robb 24th on the grid, both opting to begin the race on the Firestone alternate (red) tyres.

In the opening laps, Robb made early progress, moving up to 23rd by Lap 5 as the field settled into the 90-lap race.

VeeKay was the first driver to pit on Lap 8, switching off the alternate tyre as strategies began to diverge across the field, and rejoined in 25th position. Robb continued to move forward, climbing to 22nd as the opening stint unfolded before pitting on Lap 11 to switch to the primary (black) tyre.

Following the opening round of stops, the pair settled back into the race running in 23rd and 25th respectively as strategies began to play out.

VeeKay moved up to 21st as the field cycled through the first pit sequence, before climbing as high as ninth by Lap 32. Robb also made progress during this phase.

The No. 76 made a second stop on Lap 36, returning to the Firestone alternate (red) tyre, with Sting Ray following on Lap 39 from 17th, also switching back to the alternate compound.

A caution period on Lap 58 for debris on track bunched the field, setting up a direct fight through the final pit cycle. Both drivers pitted under caution, with VeeKay making his third and final stop to switch to the Firestone primary (black) tyre for the run to the finish, while Robb also made his third stop on Lap 59.

VeeKay gained track position through the final pit sequence, to move into 14th, while Robb rejoined in 22nd as the field reset for the closing laps.

In the closing stages, VeeKay continued to make progress, moving up to 12th before losing a place in the final run to the flag. Robb made a late move on Lap 67, passing Grosjean to take 21st, but was unable to hold the position as the race progressed and ultimately finished 23rd.

Team Perspective

Rinus VeeKay, No. 76:

“It was good to get a better starting spot for the race here, although it was a tough one today. We chose to go for the three-stop, and I think we nailed that pretty well, right until the yellow came out at the worst time.

“At that point, it was in a window where everyone had to stop, so we had to go as well. We lost all the track position that we had built up and dropped right back to 20th.

“Credit to the guys for a really good final pit stop, which was essentially damage control at that point.

“We’re still looking for a bit of luck, but we’re moving forward as a team. We’re progressing, and coming into the Month of May, we’re in a good position to score some points.”

Sting Ray Robb, No. 77:

“A long race today, and we had a lot of fuel saving, unfortunately.

“We made up some good spots in the middle stint, and until the yellow, I thought we were headed towards a top 15. The timing of the caution caught us out - I don't think it helped any of the three-stoppers.

“Nonetheless, I think the team did a good job to build throughout the weekend and get the car into a window that was better for the race.”

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

“It was a clean and well-executed race from both sides of the garage and things were looking good for us before the timing of the yellow dramatically altered the complexion of our race.

“Prior to that, we were really making the three-stop strategy work for us – even with the fuel saving – and we were looking on target to finish in the points.

“The end result belies some underlying positives in terms of the pace we showed and how we executed across the weekend. We’ll take that forward into the next round.”

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