Dale Coyne believes Rinus Veekay will stay in his IndyCar team for 2026
Dale Coyne has stated that he confident that Rinus Veekay will stay within the fold of his racing team for 2026 as he expects little change in the driver market.
Former IndyCar driver turned team owner, Dale Coyne, has shared that he is confident that Rinus VeeKay will stay with Dale Coyne Racing for the 2026 as he expects very little change amongst drivers and teams for next season.
Currently sat in 12th in the driver's standings, VeeKay joined DCR in 2025 after he contract with Ed Carpenter racing came to a sudden end after the 2024 season despite efforts by the Dutchman to seek a contract extension.
Taking the seat in the No.18 entry at DCR, VeeKay has so far had a successful season which has seen him take his first podium with the team after he finished second in Toronto.
With a total of seven top 10 finishes this season, the Dutchman has been undisputedly DCR's best driver this season with rookie Jacob Abel has continued to struggle to get to grips with the series.
The success of VeeKay's season has meant Dale Coyne has been keen to share that he wants and expects the Dutch driver to stay for 2026 with a contract expected to be announced "long before Halloween".
Asked by RACER if VeeKay's contract will be extended, Coyne said: "I think it will. Like I’ve been saying, I don’t think we’re going to see many changes next year.
"We just saw (Marcus) Armstrong’s going to continue with Meyer Shank, so he’s staying put. I think you'll know our two drivers long before Halloween.”
"There's more to come" from VeeKay and DCR's relationship
VeeKay has spoken in adoration of his new IndyCar team several times this season, none more so than following his second-place finish in Toronto.
His first podium in over three years, VeeKay expressed that he and team seem to be going from strength to strength every single race weekend.
The Dutchman even made the claim that the current DCR car is the "best car I've ever had in my IndyCar career" before suggesting his move to the team was a "big step in my career".
Speaking after Toronto he said: "There’ve been a few races this year where I’ve had the best car I’ve ever had in my IndyCar career.
'It was a crazy offseason with everything that happened, but I think it was a big step in my career.
“I’ve had a great year so far with Dale Coyne Racing. Of course, with Michael Cannon joining, his experience, I think we’ve got a really strong team.
"Matt Nelson, Michael Cannon, Dale Coyne, that whole strategy group, together on the stand, they make it happen every time. Whatever happens in the race, we make the right decisions.”
“We’re at that point in the season where we’ve figured out what we need to do. I think we’re going to have some really strong races coming up.”
Although VeeKay's results in Laguna Seca and Portland didn't match his fighting talk, it became clear after Toronto that he is still in the honeymoon period of his relationship with the team.
The importance of Michael Cannon's return to DCR
VeeKay has continually mentioned that one of the reasons he believes he has been able to be so confident in his future with DCR is due to the return of Michael Cannon as his engineer.
Cannon rejoined DCR following the Indy 500 after DCR underwent a major changes within its engineering structure.
Cannon, who had left the team six years ago, has been on the pit box and radio with VeeKay ever since and has been praised by the Dutch driver several times since his return.
"After the engineering overhaul, we really started figuring out what we needed to do", VeeKay explained in Toronto.
“Michael Cannon brought a lot of experience to the timing stand and the engineering truck. It’s paying off.”
Cannon has previously been compared to Formula One designer, Adrian Newey, and left the team to work with Chip Ganassi and AJ Foyt before he recent return.
