The halfway point of IndyCar Wrap-Up reaches a team that had its best season in IndyCar. Prior to the 2026 season, Juncos Hollinger Racing had never had a car or driver finish in the championship top ten. It entered this year with an upgrade in lead driver with Rinus VeeKay. Onto his third midfield team, VeeKay wowed many with his 2025 season at Dale Coyne Racing. However, there is a limit to how much skill can overcome technical deficiencies. This pairing drew the best out of each other.
Rinus VeeKay
In 2025, VeeKay made the most of his lifeline at Dale Coyne Racing and maintained finishing between 12th and 14th in the IndyCar every season of his IndyCar career. For him to extend that form for a seventh consecutive season, VeeKay would need to lift Juncos Hollinger Racing to a level it had never been. The combination went beyond that and was a feel-good story of 2026.
What objectively was his best race?
VeeKay took third in the Milwaukee race that began on Saturday but finished on Sunday evening. VeeKay went from 24th to third and had marvelous pace at the end. Using the lapped car of Scott Dixon as a pick, VeeKay was able to pass Scott McLaughlin for the final podium position.
What subjectively was his best race?
It should be VeeKay’s entire summer because he found a way to be more present in the top five than the likes of Josef Newgarden, Will Power and Scott Dixon. Milwaukee was probably VeeKay’s best weekend, but he had strong drives at Gateway, Mid-Ohio and Portland. He spent the entire Portland race in the top five, something we had not seen a Juncos Hollinger Racing driver do ever. This level of consistency was partially unthinkable for this team and VeeKay drew it out of this group.
What objectively was his worst race?
VeeKay was collateral damage after Marcus Armstrong got the braking wrong at Washington, D.C. and Armstrong clattered Christian Rasmussen into VeeKay. It left the Dutchman classified in 23rd.
What subjectively was his worst race?
Early contact with Álex Palou ruined VeeKay’s Phoenix race. VeeKay started eighth and essentially spent the entire race four or five laps down. Knowing what his pace was for the rest of the season, it feels like his Phoenix race was going to be promising had he made it through the first 21 laps without contact. It could have been a top ten day, maybe a top five day, but in the record book it will forever be a 22nd-place finish.
Rinus VeeKay's 2026 Statistics
Championship Position: 10th (378 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 1
Top Fives: 4
Top Tens: 8
Laps Led: 33
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 3
Fast Twelves: 5
Average Start: 14.333
Average Finish: 11.277
Wins: 0
Podiums: 1
Top Fives: 4
Top Tens: 8
Laps Led: 33
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 3
Fast Twelves: 5
Average Start: 14.333
Average Finish: 11.277
Sting Ray Robb
For the first time in his IndyCar career, Robb remained with the same team after switching shirts for his first three seasons. He showed better consistency and increased pace toward the end of his 2025 season. Remaining at the same team was hopefully going to extend his growth a little further in 2026. Ground was not made.
What objectively was his best race?
In a messy Markham race, Robb was 11th at the checkered flag as seven of 25 starters retired and Dennis Hauger ran out of fuel on the final lap. Robb did start 15th, so it wasn’t a case that pace was entirely absent.
What subjectively was his best race?
I don’t think any race was brilliant for Robb. I don’t think he did anything positively noteworthy. Nashville will get mentioned because he ran all 225 laps, the only oval he finished on the lead lap, and he finished five spots better than where he started, though largely because others made mistakes and Robb ran long on ever stint, never having a caution catch him out.
What objectively was his worst race?
Robb ran into David Malukas after Malukas hit the barrier on exit of the final corner at Washington, D.C. Robb had nowhere to go and it left him 25th. It was Robb’s only retirement of the season.
What subjectively was his worst race?
The last race at Laguna Seca because what stands out the most is Robb ran over the back of Dennis Hauger on the opening lap, Hauger’s season ended before he could complete a lap in the finale, Robb received a penalty, Robb finished a lap down in 23rd. He had 11 results outside the top twenty in 18 races, and he had 15 finishes outside the top fifteen.
Sting Ray Robb's 2026 Statistics
Championship Position: 25th (182 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 0
Top Tens: 0
Laps Led: 0
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 0
Fast Twelves: 0
Average Start: 22.388
Average Finish: 19.888
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 0
Top Tens: 0
Laps Led: 0
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 0
Fast Twelves: 0
Average Start: 22.388
Average Finish: 19.888
An Early Look Ahead
I want to deconstruct this team’s future depending on a rumored ownership change.
Brad Hollinger has been suggested as wanting to fully takeover the team from Ricardo Juncos and becoming the sole owner. Hollinger has essentially been a non-public owner. His name is on the door and the shirts, but he is not openly at the racetracks and giving interviews or making himself known. There are really no silent team owners in IndyCar.
Roger Penske owns the series. Chip Ganassi figuratively owns the series. Dan Towriss is not Michael Andretti, but he is around. Bobby Rahal is Bobby Rahal. David Letterman doesn’t hide in the shadows when he is attending races. Dale Coyne, Larry Foyt, Ed Carpenter, and Mike Shank are all on timing stands and actively involved in teams. Zak Brown is always talking when he is at a racetrack. Brad Hollinger is none of that, and it is interesting he would want to own a team outright.
Ricardo Juncos is open and engaged with the team and series. Juncos has been on the timing stand, an integral part of the team’s operations. Cutting out Juncos either means Hollinger wants to take on a greater role or he will hire his own figurehead to run it, which he arguably already has with the Juncos partnership. It sounds like there has been disharmony within JHR ownership for quite some time and one thing we know is a recipe for success in sports is infighting within an ownership group.
Does the off-track squabbling cause performance issues on the racetrack? It is certainly a concern. However, VeeKay is believed to be locked down for 2027, which means he is either going down with the ship or he can continue to carry this team forward. Robb is largely expected to be out of the team. VeeKay showed the team’s potential. He cracked the championship top ten and has the pace to compete for victories. Adding another driver of that caliber can only help the team. Where does that other driver come from?
Between an ownership takeover and a possible renewed partnership with Arrow McLaren after the 2024 partnership ended midseason following hostilities then-McLaren driver Théo Pourchaire received from fans after an incident with then-JHR driver Agustín Canapino, there isn’t a team in IndyCar with a more unpredictable offseason ahead of it, and Dale Coyne Racing has two potential openings that could remain unfilled until the start of March. Let’s not forget JHR dismissed Callum Ilott almost two months after the 2023 season and when Ilott was largely expected to continue with the team into 2024. Even what we think JHR has locked in for 2027 should not be held as gospel.
We really cannot write anything off for JHR, and this is all off the racetrack. It obscures what its future holds for on-track results. IndyCar is a series where the midfield changes rapidly and teams shoot up and down regularly. Just because JHR was in the top ten in 2026 doesn’t mean it will stay there for long,
Dale Coyne Racing was winning races and leading the championship with Sébastien Bourdais, and it hasn’t cracked the championship top ten since 2018. Ed Carpenter Racing hasn’t had a top ten championship finisher since Josef Newgarden. Two seasons ago, Santino Ferrucci was ninth with A.J. Foyt Racing, and now that partnership ended after neither Foyt car finished better than 17th. It wasn’t long ago Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing has both cars in the championship top ten and now none of its three can crack the top fifteen. It wasn’t long ago Meyer Shank Racing could not crack the top fifteen and now it has two entries that compete for race victories and it just won the Indianapolis 500.
History suggests JHR is bound for a dip. Maybe VeeKay holds on for another season, but sustained success is not usual for a team of this size in IndyCar. If the form holds in 2027, it could be best to get out after that season because a third year of this level of competitiveness feels unlikely. However, this could be the point to get off the ride and it is too late. A rough ride could lay ahead.
