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Rinus Veekay

Source: PHOTO: Chris Owens/Penske Entertainment

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The start to the season has been one to forget for Ed Carpenter Racing.

‘We’re definitely not happy,” said ECR driver Rinus Veekay. “It’s been so far disastrous as in results. Definitely not where we want to be, but we know we have pace. We have all the cards on the table to get back to last year’s results, but we’ve just been unlucky.”

Veekay by himself has had an average finish of 19th place in the first three races. He was involved in wrecks at St. Pete and again at Long Beach which set him behind in the points. Teammate Conor Daly has not faired any better also averaging 19th through three races.

Regardless of what has happened, the pair of ECR drivers are confident ahead of the series heading to its first true road course race of the season at Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama. Veekay sat on the pole at the beginning of last year’s Honda GP of Alabama.

“I like the track layout,” Veekay said. “I like fast, flowy corners, but you need to have a car that does well. You could drive at a 100-percent and nail every corner and finish 10th with a car that’s not good”

Marcus Ericsson enters the weekend the points leader 15 points clear of Pato O’Ward in second place. Alex Palou and Josef Newgarden are also looking for good results this weekend in order to stay in the early season hunt.

O’Ward won this race a year ago which would be his first of two wins from the 2022 campaign.

Practice, as always, begins on Friday with qualifying on Saturday. The green flag of the race will drop at 3:00 pm EDT.