Carmen cheers on husband Rinus Veekay's P5 qualifying finish at Barber Motorsports Park

Rinus VeeKay earned his best qualifying result of the 2025 IndyCar season with a fifth-place finish at Barber Motorsports Park on Saturday, May 3. VeeKay’s performance was not only a boost for the team but also a proud moment for his wife, Carmen Veekay. She was at the track with her parents and shared her excitement online via an Instagram story.

Competing in the No. 18 askROI Honda for Dale Coyne Racing, VeeKay made it into the Firestone Fast Six and secured a strong starting position for Sunday’s (May 4) Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix. His fastest lap in the final round was 1:07.9103, reaching a top speed of 121.926 mph.

This is also VeeKay’s first Firestone Fast Six appearance on a road or street course since April 2022. He advanced through the first round by setting the fifth-fastest lap in his group at 1:07.5504. He then held onto fifth again in the second round, and matched that result in the final round of qualifying.

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Sharing her excitement on Rinus VeeKay's qualifying result, Carmen wrote:

"Qualified P5 woohooo!!!"

Screengrab of Carmen Veekay's IG Story. (@carmenveekay via Instagram)

The field was closely matched at the front in the final shootout for pole. Reigning series champion Alex Palou took pole position with a lap of 1:07.2918. Scott McLaughlin and Colton Herta qualified second and third, respectively, with Will Power just ahead of VeeKay in fourth.

Veekay currently sits in the 16th spot in the IndyCar drivers' standings with 46 points. He will look to improve his position in Sunday's race from a solid starting spot on the grid.

Rinus Veekay happy with his tire choices for Sunday's race

AUTO: Rinus Veekay on MAR 04 INDYCAR Series Streets of St. Petersburg - Source: Getty

Rinus VeeKay’s pace in qualifying came after a rough start to the weekend. He posted only the 23rd-fastest time in Friday’s (May 2) first practice session. However, setup changes made overnight and into Saturday helped turn things around. After qualifying, VeeKay credited the team for helping him get the most out of the car.

"I was right on it for qualifying," VeeKay said (via FrontStretch). "Thanks to Dale Coyne Racing and Honda for giving me everything I need to do what I can, for allowing me to push to the limit... We made a few setup changes, big ones from practice one to practice two, a few minimal ones from practice two to qualifying.

One of the biggest benefits Rinus Veekay has for Sunday’s race is the choice of a new alternate tire. He said he feels confident about the tire strategy Dale Coyne Racing has planned for Sunday’s race after they chose to save a fresh set of Firestone Alternate tires, aka, the red tires for the race.

VeeKay explained that the red tires offer more grip, which will help him fight at the front of the field from his fifth-place starting spot.

“I think that’s a smart decision,” he added. “We have better grip. That matters tomorrow because of our position.”

Rinus Veekay added that the race is likely to be decided by drivers who manage the red tires well. This year’s tires are a little different from last year's, with more wear and grip loss after heating and cooling during a run. That makes having a fresh set even more valuable for his strategy on Sunday.