Rinus VeeKay is relishing the thought of this weekend’s race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, labeling it as much more of a racing track than last week’s race in Nashville.
The inaugural race from the streets of downtown Nashville was a race of attrition, with many drivers getting caught up in accidents during every on-track session.
The tricky nature of the course, and the unknown factors of a brand new circuit, combined to result in more than a few damaged race cars.
This week, however, the track has plenty of runoff areas, which allows chances to make mistakes without severe penalty.
That aspect, not to mention the fact that the series is returning to the track that gave him his first IndyCar victory, has caused VeeKay to look favorably at the race ahead.
“This is a race, last week was survival,” said VeeKay. “Last one standing. This is more what I like. This track is very known for everyone.
“I love this track. I love the whole atmosphere. The car we have on this track helps as well.
“That GP win [when IndyCar visited this course in May] was amazing, and we want to do it again. We have the car. Things have to go our way this weekend.
“Great to be back here and great we have a second race at this track. That’s good for us.
“We really need the points to continue in the top six of the championship.”
VeeKay started the week off on a solid note, placing his Ed Carpenter Racing Chevy in a top 10 grid slot for the race.
He looked as if he could have taken pole with the pace he showed earlier in the day, but as the track became more rubbered in, he slipped down the order a bit.
He still holds himself to have a good chance at a podium when the Big Machine Spiked Coolers Grand Prix gets under way Saturday afternoon at 12:30 EDT.
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