Rinus Veekay will have a new lead engineer as Dale Coyne Racing makes the change

Rinus Veekay is set to have a new lead engineer for the remainder of the 2025 season, following a recent announcement by the Dale Coyne Racing team. The Illinois-based outfit revealed a comprehensive engineering reset following the Indy 500 event.

This change, which affects both its team’s drivers, Rinus Veekay and Jacob Abel, will see both drivers assigned new engineers from the upcoming IndyCar Detroit Grand Prix. Veekay will reunite with longtime series engineer Michael Cannon, while Abel will work with Mike Culliver.

Team owner Dale Coyne, sharing his thoughts via the IndyCar official website following the in-season change, stated:

“I would first like to thank Ed Nathman and John Dick for helping us get to this point in our 2025 season. Our driver lineup came together very late in the offseason, and we appreciate both Ed and John stepping in to get us on track so quickly. I’m also very excited to welcome back Michael Cannon and Mike Culliver to the Dale Coyne Racing team for the remainder of the year.”

Michael Cannon, who replaces Ed Nathman as Rinus Veekay’s engineer, previously served at AJ Foyt before his brief stint with IndyCar’s newest team, Prema Racing. Culliver, who also returns to the Dale Coyne team, is expected to aid the progress of rookie Jacob Abel, who failed to qualify for the recent Indy 500 race.

Both Veekay and Abel have experienced a rather contrasting turn of results through the 2025 IndyCar season so far. Veekay’s best finish was the fourth place recorded at the Children’s Grand Prix of Alabama, while Abel’s best outing remains the 23rd place achieved during the St. Petersburg Grand Prix.

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How Rinus Veekay reacted after his Indy 500 race

Reenus Veekay took to social media to react following his outing at the Indy 500 race. The Dutch driver, who had secured a spot on the grid after bumping out teammate Jacob Abel, was hoping for an impressive outing at the Brickyard event.

However, the 24-year-old witnessed his race marred by a pit lane incident, which ended his race prematurely. Veekay, while entering the pits for a pit stop, reported a brake failure, which caused him to lose control and slam his car into the pit walls, ultimately leading to his retirement.

Sharing his thoughts following the incident, the Dale Coyne Racing driver, taking to his X account, wrote:

“We raced our way up to 6th before a brake failure ended our day coming into pit lane. @DaleCoyneRacing gave me a great car and strategy. Just needed a bit of luck to go with it. All eyes on Detroit now!”

The DNF recorded at the Indy 500 meant the former Ed Carpenter Racing driver’s best outing at the event remains the eighth place he recorded during the 2021 season. Rinus Veekay will now shift focus to achieving an impressive result at the Detroit Grand Prix in Michigan — a race where he previously recorded a podium finish during the 2021 edition of the event.