VeeKay charges from 24th to podium at Milwaukee as Juncos Hollinger eyes historic season finish

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VeeKay charges from 24th to podium at Milwaukee as Juncos Hollinger eyes historic season finish

Joey Barnes

Tue, September 1, 2026 at 1:50 PM UTC ·

3 min read

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Rinus VeeKay was on a mission at The Milwaukee Mile, carving through the field from 24th on the grid to claim a third-place finish in the rain-suspended two-part Race 1 after executing a bold pass on Team Penske's Scott McLaughlin with just four laps remaining in the 250-lap contest.

The performance marked the 25-year-old Dutchman's first podium since his runner-up result at Toronto last year with Dale Coyne Racing. It also delivered just the second podium in the history of Juncos Hollinger Racing (JHR). Fittingly, the team's only previous IndyCar podium came at the very same track in 2024, when Conor Daly charged from 25th to third in Race 1.

Behind the wheel of the #76 Chevrolet, VeeKay was thrilled to finally step onto the box after a string of near-misses this season.

"Podium Baby! After three fourth place finishes this season, a podium feels incredible," VeeKay said.

"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 was incredible with the cooler conditions here. Big shoutout to the #76 Juncos Hollinger crew. And to be part of an all-Chevy podium-not me-but the second all-Chevy podium that was really cool. A big thank you to Chevy for giving me all the power I needed to make all those passes from 24th to third."

VeeKay was also quick in Race 2, leading 25 laps before crossing the line in seventh. The stellar doubleheader weekend brought his season total to a career-best eight top-10 finishes with one round remaining, pushing him back into 10th place in the IndyCar championship standings.

JHR Team Principal Dave O'Neill praised both driver and crew for capitalizing on their oval pace despite a disrupted schedule.

"What a weekend," O'Neill said. "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."

Heading into the final round at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca this weekend, VeeKay and Juncos Hollinger Racing have a chance to cap off a benchmark year. Securing a spot in the top 10 would mark a career best for VeeKay, who previously peaked at 12th in the standings (2021, 2022). It would also represent a landmark milestone for JHR, whose previous best championship finish was 16th with Callum Ilott in 2023.