#twenty-one – Rinus VeeKay14th in the championship standings (277 points) – 17 races
- 0 wins, 0 podiums, 0 top fives, 2 top 10s, 0 poles, 1 Fast Six Appearance
- Best Finish: 6th (Portland)
- Best Start: 2nd (Indianapolis 500)
#twenty – Ryan Hunter-Reay26th in the championship standings (131 points) – 11 races, 10 w/ECR
- 0 wins, 0 podiums, 0 top fives, 1 top 10, 0 poles, 0 Fast Six Appearances
- Best Finish (w/ ECR): 10th (Laguna Seca)
- Best Start (w/ ECR): 16th (Iowa – Race 1)
#twenty – Conor Daly25th in championship standings (134 points) – 11 races, 7 w/ ECR
- 0 wins, 0 podiums, 0 top fives, 1 top 10, 0 poles, 0 Fast Six Appearances (* w/ ECR)
- Best Finish (w/ ECR): 8th (Indianapolis 500)
- Best Start (w/ ECR): 15th (Detroit)
#33 – Ed Carpenter30th in championship standings (46 points) – 5 races
- 0 wins, 0 podiums, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s, 0 poles, 1 Fast Six Appearance
- Best Finish: 13th (Texas)
- Best Start: 4th (Iowa – Race 2)
Joey Barnes: The good news is that Rinus VeeKay only had two finishes of 21st or worse. The bad news, though, is that he only had two top 10s and did not result in the top five. I would imagine there was frustration in the ECR camp as a year ago they appeared poised to take another step, but that isn’t what happened.
Honestly, I’m not sure it’s as much about regression within the camp even with a midseason driver change that saw Conor Daly swapped for Ryan Hunter-Reay, but more about the expansion and progress by other teams.
VeeKay qualified in the top 10 three times in 2023, which is undoubtedly one of the key areas that has to improve next year if they are to push back into contending for top fives and the occasional podium or win.
Hunter-Reay provided enough stability to be a benchmark for the team but also gave VeeKay a veteran team-mate with a championship pedigree, which is something that hadn’t existed since coming into the IndyCar Series in 2020. I believe that could pay dividends going into next year in a variety of ways, maybe none more important as VeeKay takes on the leadership role with Christian Rasmussen, the 2023 Indy NXT champion, set for select rounds in the Hunter-Reay occupied seat.
Photo by: Gavin Baker / Motorsport Images
Ryan Hunter-Reay, Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet
Nick Degroot: Ed Carpenter Racing appeared to go downhill in 2023. Looking at Rinus VeeKay, his average finish was similar to last year, but he just appeared to be less competitive overall.
As expected, ECR was again a force to be reckoned with at the Indianapolis 500 though. VeeKay started from the front row, led 24 laps and scored a top-ten finish. However, that was the only time he led at all during the 2023 season.
The No. 20 car, which started the year with Conor Daly before switching to Ryan Hunter-Reay after seven races, wasn’t any better. There were just two top 10s among those veteran drivers, including an eighth-place finish from Daly in the 500.
But I see good things on the horizon for ECR, despite a stagnant 2023 season. Newly crowned Indy NXT champion Christian Rasmussen will run the road and street courses, sharing the ride with Carpenter himself. The team will only run three cars at the 500 with Rasmussen joining Carpenter and VeeKay. Perhaps they can now make better use of the tools at their disposal as they aim to regain some lost ground on the competition.
