Zach Veach

Last updated
Zach Veach
Zach veach (42376575740) (cropped).jpg
Veach at the 2018 ABC Supply 500
Nationality Flag of the United States.svg American
Born (1994-12-09) December 9, 1994 (age 30)
Stockdale, Ohio, U.S.
IndyCar Series career
47 races run over 4 years
Team(s)No. 26 (Andretti Autosport)
2019 position18th
Best finish15th (2018)
First race 2017 Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama (Barber)
Last race 2020 Honda Indy 200 Race 2 (Mid-Ohio)
WinsPodiums Poles
000
Previous series
2013-2014
2016
2012

2010-2011		 Indy Lights

U.S. F2000 National Championship
Star Mazda Championship
Championship titles
2011
2012 		U.S. F2000 Winterfest
Formula Car Challenge

Zachary E. Veach (born December 9, 1994) is an American auto racing driver.

Contents

Veach was named to CNN's list of "Intriguing People" in May 2010, [1] is the national spokesperson for FocusDriven, and released his first book, 99 Things Teens Wish They Knew Before Turning 16 on NBC's The Today Show on March 2, 2011. [2]

Racing career

Early career

Veach began racing at age 12 when he was "discovered" by former IndyCar Series team owner Sarah Fisher's dad, Dave Fisher. In 19 months Veach had gone from go-karts to the cockpit of an open-wheel Formula BMW machine. Near the end of 2009, while testing a Formula BMW, Atlantic Championship team owner Eric Jensen signed Veach to his team for the 2010 Atlantic Championship season. [3] In early March 2010, the Series halted operations. [4]

U.S. F2000 National Championship

Veach in 2010 Zach Veach 2010.jpg
Veach in 2010

In his first year as a driver in the U.S. F2000 National Championship for Andretti Autosport, Veach had 10 top-five finishes and four podium results. Despite entering the series after the season-opener (St. Pete) and therefore missing out on two rounds of race points, he managed to finish fifth in the driver championship point standings. His performances also contributed to Andretti Autosport securing the team championship for the 2010 season. He was also named a semi-finalist for Sports Illustrated's annual Sports Kid of the Year award.

On December 9, Andretti Autosport announced they had re-signed Veach to again compete in the USF2000 National Championship and WinterFest in 2011. [5]

In January 2011, Veach won the 2011 U.S. F2000 Winterfest – a winter race series held in Florida. Veach won two of the five races and won the title by six points over Andretti teammate Spencer Pigot. [6] Veach won the 2011 U.S. F2000 National Championship season opener at Sebring International Raceway. Veach finished fourth in series points. [7]

Star Mazda Championship

Veach racing in Star Mazda at Road Atlanta PLM12 Star Mazda 77 Zach Veach.jpg
Veach racing in Star Mazda at Road Atlanta

Veach made his Star Mazda Championship debut for Andretti Autosport at Infineon Raceway in August 2011. He also competed in the series' season finale at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, [8] where he finished third. He competed in the full season for Andretti Autosport in the #77 car in 2012, finishing tenth in points with a best finish of third at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis.

Indy Lights

Veach moved up to Indy Lights with Andretti Autosport in 2013. Veach led the most laps and finished on the podium in third at the Milwaukee Mile and won the pole at Auto Club Speedway on his way to seventh in points. He remained in the series and Andretti Autosport in 2014. He collected three wins and nine podiums in 14 races to end third in the standings behind Gabby Chaves and Jack Harvey. After sitting out of the 2015 season due to an injury which required hand surgery, Veach returned to Indy Lights in 2016 with Belardi Auto Racing. [9] After a rough start, where he suffered a mechanical failure while dominating the first race in St. Petersburg, he went on to collect 3 wins as well as several podium finishes throughout the 18 race season.

During his Indy Lights racing career, Zach finished in the top 10 in 43 of the 44 races he competed in, or 97.73%. [10]

IndyCar Series

Veach (left) at Texas in 2019 2019 DXC Technology 600 17.jpg
Veach (left) at Texas in 2019

He made his IndyCar Series debut at the 2017 Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama as a last-minute replacement driver for the injured J. R. Hildebrand. [11] Despite the short notice and a limited amount of time to become familiar with the car prior to the event, he managed to close the performance gap to teammate Spencer Pigot in each session, from 1.5 second behind in the first practice to 1.1 in the second, 0.8 in the third and just 0.5 in qualifying. Veach started 19th and ran as high as fourth in the race, after pitting off-sequence, before finishing in 19th place, the last car on the lead lap. [12]

Veach competed at the 2017 Indianapolis 500 for A. J. Foyt Enterprises, [13] placing 26th, when he retired on lap 155 with mechanical issues.

On September 11, 2017 it was announced that Veach had reached an agreement to drive Andretti Autosport's fourth IndyCar full-time for the 2018 IndyCar Series season. The contract was three years in length. [14]

On September 23, 2020, Andretti Autosport announced that Veach would be leaving the team ahead of the Harvest GP. [15]

IMSA

For the 2021 season, Veach was signed by Vasser Sullivan Racing to drive a GTD-class Lexus RC at the IMSA SportsCar Championship, partnering with Frankie Montecalvo. [16]

Distracted driving campaign

Veach has been very outspoken about his interest in putting an end to distracted driving. On April 30, 2010, Veach attended the taping of The Oprah Winfrey Show's focus on the No Phone Zone program. At the program he met Jennifer Smith, founder and president of FocusDriven, the official beneficiary from Winfrey's No Phone Zone, and later became FocusDriven's national spokesperson. In May 2010, Veach campaigned to gain support from professional racecar drivers to support Winfrey's No Phone Zone. [17] Veach announced on June 4, 2010, he had added 33 Indy 500 drivers support of the No Phone Zone, including that of Danica Patrick and Hélio Castroneves, among others. [18]

In July 2010, Veach released an anti-texting app, urTXT, which automatically responds to a text message received by the phone. [19]

On September 21, 2010, Veach attended the 2010 National Distracted Driving Summit where he was honored by United States Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, in addition to the Jonas Brothers and Jordin Sparks for their collective efforts to put an end to distracted driving. [20]

Musical career

Veach will star in the Indianapolis Opera's production of Gaetano Donizetti's comic opera Elixir of Love, to be held in November 2019. [21]

Racing record

U.S. F2000 National Championship

YearTeam123456789101112RankPoints
2010 Andretti Autosport STP STP ORP
4		 IOW
5		 NJM
4		 NJM
5		 ACC
7		 ACC
6		 ROA
3		 ROA
3		 ATL
2		 ATL
4		5th189
2011 Andretti Autosport SEB
1		 SEB
8		 STP
3		 STP
4		 ORP
2		 MIL
2		 MDO
5		 MDO
7		 ROA
3		 ROA
5		 BAL
12		 BAL
16		4th223

Star Mazda Championship

YearTeam1234567891011121314151617RankPoints
2012 Andretti Autosport STP
17		 STP
11		 BAR
15		 BAR
10		 IND
3		 IOW
6		 TOR
2		 TOR
17		 EDM
9		 EDM
17		 TRO
8		 TRO
8		 BAL
8		 BAL
6		 LAG
11		 LAG
17		 ATL
8		10th199

Indy Lights

YearTeam123456789101112131415161718RankPoints
2013 Andretti Autosport
AFS Racing 		STP
5		 ALA
9		 LBH
9		 INDY
5		 MIL
3*		 IOW
7		 POC
4		 TOR
7		 MDO
5		 BAL
8		 HOU
10		 FON
4		7th333
2014 Andretti Autosport STP
1*		 LBH
2		 ALA
1*		 ALA
3		 IND
9		 IND
7		 INDY
3		 POC
2		 TOR
5		 MDO
4		 MDO
2		 MIL
1		 SNM
7		 SNM
3		3rd520
2016 Belardi Auto Racing STP
16		 STP
3		 PHX
8		 ALA
3		 ALA
10		 IMS
5		 IMS
10		 INDY
10		 RDA
1		 RDA
3		 IOW
2		 TOR
9		 TOR
6		 MDO
5		 MDO
4		 WGL
1		 LAG
3		 LAG
1		4th332

IndyCar Series

(key)

YearTeamChassisNo.Engine1234567891011121314151617RankPointsRef
2017 Ed Carpenter Racing Dallara DW12 21 Chevrolet STP LBH ALA
19		 PHX IMS 33rd23 [22]
A. J. Foyt Enterprises 40 INDY
26		 DET DET TEX ROA IOW TOR MDO POC GTW WGL SNM
2018 Andretti Autosport 26 Honda STP
16		 PHX
16		 LBH
4		 ALA
13		 IMS
23		 INDY
23		 DET
12		 DET
13		 TXS
16		 ROA
22		 IOW
20		 TOR
7		 MDO
10		 POC
6		 GTW
5		 POR
19		 SNM
14		15th313 [23]
2019 STP
14		 COA
22		 ALA
12		 LBH
17		 IMS
12		 INDY
29		 DET
8		 DET
8		 TXS
20		 RDA
18		 TOR
13		 IOW
7		 MDO
21		 POC
13		 GTW
14		 POR
22		 LAG
18		18th271 [24]
2020 TXS
4		 IMS
14		 ROA
16		 ROA
16		 IOW
23		 IOW
20		 INDY
15		 GTW
21		 GTW
22		 MDO
20		 MDO
17		 IMS IMS STP
21st166 [25]

* Season still in progress.

Indianapolis 500

YearChassisEngineStartFinishTeam
2017 Dallara Chevrolet 3226 A. J. Foyt Enterprises
2018 Dallara Honda 2523 Andretti Autosport
2019 Dallara Honda 2829 Andretti Autosport
2020 Dallara Honda 1715 Andretti Autosport

Complete WeatherTech SportsCar Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

YearEntrantClassMakeEngine123456789101112RankPoints
2021 Vasser Sullivan Racing GTD Lexus RC F GT3 Lexus 5.0 L V8 DAY
13		 SEB
6		 MDO
2		 DET WGL
11		 WGL
2†		 LIM
10		 ELK
6		 LGA
10		 LBH
13		 VIR
13		 PET
3		8th2538

† Points only counted towards the WeatherTech Sprint Cup and not the overall GTD Championship.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Andretti</span> American race car driver (1963–2020)

John Andrew Andretti was an American professional race car driver. He won individual races in CART, IMSA GTP, Rolex Sports Car Series, and NASCAR during his career. A member of the Andretti racing family, he was the son of Aldo Andretti, older brother of racer Adam Andretti, nephew of Mario Andretti, and the cousin to CART drivers Michael and Jeff Andretti. He is also the first cousin once-removed of Marco Andretti.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andretti Global</span> American racecar team

Andretti Global is an American motorsports organization with teams competing in the IndyCar Series, Indy NXT, Formula E, Extreme E, and joint entries in IMSA and the Australian Supercars Championship. Starting in 2026, Andretti will also operate the Cadillac Formula One team in collaboration with General Motors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">USF Pro 2000 Championship</span> American automobile racing series

The USF Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires, formerly known as the Star Mazda Championship, Pro Mazda Championship, and later Indy Pro 2000 Championship, is an open-wheel racing series serving as the third step on the Road to Indy ladder system, between the USF2000 Championship and Indy NXT. The series is sanctioned by the United States Auto Club and operated by Andersen Promotions. The series' champion is awarded a scholarship package to advance to Indy NXT competition for the following season. It competes on all open-wheel disciplines: road courses, street courses, and ovals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Hinchcliffe</span> Canadian racing driver and commentator (born 1986)

James Douglas Meredith Hinchcliffe is a Canadian race car driver and commentator best known for competing in the IndyCar Series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Davison</span> Australian racing driver (born 1986)

James D. Davison is an Australian professional racing driver who drives an Aston Martin Vantage GT3 in the Blancpain GT World Challenge America. He has also competed in the NTT IndyCar Series, NASCAR Cup Series, and NASCAR Xfinity Series. He is sometimes also called JD Davison.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sebastián Saavedra</span> Colombian racing driver

Sebastián Saavedra is a Colombian racing driver from Bogotá. In 2014, he drove for KVSH Racing in the Verizon IndyCar Series before being replaced by former GP2 Series driver Stefano Coletti.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010 U.S. F2000 National Championship</span>

The 2010 Cooper Tires presents the U.S. F2000 National Championship powered by Mazda is the first U.S. F2000 National Championship season under the new management, sanctioned by the Indy Racing League. All cars will run Mazda MZR engines built by former driver Steve Knapp.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No Phone Zone</span> Program developed by Oprah Winfrey

No Phone Zone is a program developed by Oprah Winfrey and released on March 6, 2010, about how to teach people not to talk or text on their cell phone while they are driving. The program was shown at the beginning and end of The Oprah Winfrey Show and was sponsored by Liberty Mutual and Sprint. FocusDriven is the official beneficiary of Winfrey's No Phone Zone.

The 2011 U.S. F2000 Cooper Tires Winterfest was the first winter racing series promoted by the U.S. F2000 National Championship. It consisted of five races held during two race meets in January 2011. It served as preparation for the 2011 U.S. F2000 National Championship and was contested using 2010 rules.

The 2011 U.S. F2000 National Championship is a season of the U.S. F2000 National Championship, an open wheel auto racing series that is the first step in IndyCar's Road to Indy ladder. It is the second full season of the series since its revival in 2010. It follows the first 2011 U.S. F2000 Winterfest winter championship. It consists of 12 races held over 7 race weekends on seven different tracks – two street circuits, two ovals, and three permanent road courses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gabby Chaves</span> Colombian-American racing driver

Gabriel "Gabby" Chaves is a Colombian-American racing driver, currently competing in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and the Michelin Pilot Challenge. He raced in the IndyCar Series and is the 2014 Indy Lights Champion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dalton Kellett</span> Canadian racing driver

Dalton Kellett is a Canadian former racing driver from Stouffville, Ontario. He last competed in the IndyCar Series, driving for A. J. Foyt Racing.

The 2014 Indy Lights season was a season of open wheel motor racing. It was the 29th season of the Indy Lights series and the 13th sanctioned by IndyCar, acting as the primary support series for the IndyCar Series. It began March 30, 2014 in St. Petersburg. The 2014 season was the first promoted by Andersen Promotions, who also promotes the other steps on the Mazda Road to Indy.

The 2014 U.S. F2000 National Championship was a season of the U.S. F2000 National Championship, an open wheel auto racing series that is the first step in IndyCar's Road to Indy ladder. It was the fifth full season of the series since its revival in 2010. The National Class merged with the Championship class in 2014, resulting in just one class of competition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spencer Pigot</span> American racing driver

Spencer James Pigot is an American racing driver.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 IndyCar Series</span> 22nd season of the Verizon IndyCar Series

The 2017 Verizon IndyCar Series was the 22nd season of the Verizon IndyCar Series and the 106th official championship season of American open wheel racing. The premier event was the 101st Indianapolis 500 won by Takuma Sato. Josef Newgarden, the 2011 Indy Lights champion, in his sixth full-time season in the IndyCar Series, won the championship. It was Newgarden's first season as part of Team Penske, and he collected four wins, one pole position, and ten top-five finishes. It was Team Penske's 15th Indy car season championship, and third in four years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 IndyCar Series</span> 23rd season of the Verizon IndyCar Series

The 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series was the 23rd season of the Verizon IndyCar Series and the 107th official championship season of American open wheel racing. The premier event was the 102nd Indianapolis 500, with Takuma Sato entering as the defending Indianapolis 500 winner. Josef Newgarden entered the season as the defending National Champion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 IndyCar Series</span> 24th season of the IndyCar Series

The 2019 NTT IndyCar Series was the 24th season of the IndyCar Series and the 108th official championship season of American open wheel racing. The premier event was the 2019 Indianapolis 500, with Will Power entering as the defending winner. Honda entered as the defending Manufacturers' Cup champion. Scott Dixon entered the season as the defending National Champion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 IndyCar Series</span> 25th season of the IndyCar Series

The 2020 NTT IndyCar Series was the 25th season of the IndyCar Series and the 109th official championship season of American open wheel racing. The premier event was the 2020 Indianapolis 500. Josef Newgarden entered the season as the defending National Champion. Honda entered as defending Manufacturers' Cup champion for the second consecutive season. It was the first year under Penske management after they took over in late 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 IndyCar Series</span> 26th season of the IndyCar Series

The 2021 NTT IndyCar Series was the 26th season of the IndyCar Series and the 110th official championship season of American open wheel racing. The premier event was the 2021 Indianapolis 500, won by Hélio Castroneves. It was the second year under Penske management after they took over in late 2019. Scott Dixon entered his 21st season competing for a National Championship as the defending champion, but ultimately finished the campaign in fourth place.

References

  1. ↑ Kernis, Jay. Wednesday's intriguing people, CNN.com, May 19, 2010
  2. ↑ Marks, Ginger. Veach to Release Book with the 99 Series Archived 2011-07-07 at the Wayback Machine , 99-Series.com, May 01, 2010
  3. ↑ Atlantic: Jensen MotorSport signs 15-year-old driver, Racer, December 11, 2009
  4. ↑ Atlantic Championship forced to take hiatus [ permanent dead link ], Motorsport.com, March 03, 2010
  5. ↑ Andretti Autosport re-signs Zach Veach for USF2000, Racer Magazine, December 09, 2010
  6. ↑ Veach wins Cooper Tires Winterfest championship Archived 2012-03-16 at the Wayback Machine , Racing Wire, January 14, 2011, Retrieved 2011-09-05
  7. ↑ Final 2011 Points Standings Archived 2012-03-30 at the Wayback Machine , U.S. F2000, Retrieved 2011-09-05
  8. ↑ Veach steps up to Star Mazda, IndyCar, August 18, 2011, Retrieved 2011-09-05
  9. ↑ Veach joins Belardi for 2016 Archived 2015-11-28 at the Wayback Machine , Racer, November 25, 2015, Retrieved 2015-12-02
  10. ↑ "The Official Site of the Road to Indy, Drivers, Schedule & Shop". Archived from the original on 2017-11-17. Retrieved 2017-11-16.
  11. ↑ 2:49 p.m. ET April 18, 2017 (2016-10-20). "Zach Veach to replace injured JR Hildebrand at Barber". Indystar.com. Retrieved 2017-04-19.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  12. ↑ "Zach Veach ticks all the right boxes in Barber debut weekend". 24 April 2017.
  13. ↑ "Indycar Racing News | Racer.com - Veach to run Indy 500 with Foyt". Racer.com. Archived from the original on 2017-04-08. Retrieved 2017-04-08.
  14. ↑ Ayello, Jim. Zach Veach joining Andretti Autosport in 2018, Indianapolis Star, September 11, 2017, Retrieved 2017-09-12
  15. ↑ Pruett, Marshall. Veach parts with Andretti ahead of Harvest GP, Racer.com, September 23, 2020, Retrieved 2020-09-23
  16. ↑ Pruett, Marshall (14 January 2021). "Megennis joins Vasser Sullivan endurance line-up". racer.com. Racer Media & Marketing Inc. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  17. ↑ 15 Year-Old Racer Zach Veach To Campaign For Oprah Winfrey’s No Phone Zone By Adding The Indy 500′s 33 Drivers To Her Petition, Catchfence.com, May 13, 2010
  18. ↑ 33 Indy 500 Drivers Join Oprah Winfreys No Phone Zone Archived 2011-07-19 at the Wayback Machine , paddocktalk.com, June 04, 2010
  19. ↑ Drell, Lauren. Zach Veach: A 15-Year-Old Takes on Texting and Driving Archived 2010-09-28 at the Wayback Machine , AOL Small Business, Sept. 23, 2010
  20. ↑ Racer Zach Veach Participates in National Distracted Driving Summit with Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood [ permanent dead link ], SPEEDtv.com, Sept. 21, 2010
  21. ↑ Andretti Autosport (30 October 2019). "ZACH VEACH TO STAR IN INDIANAPOLIS OPERA'S ELIXIR OF LOVE". Andretti Autosport. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  22. ↑ "Zach Veach – 2017 Verizon IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  23. ↑ "Zach Veach – 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  24. ↑ "Zach Veach – 2019 NTT IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  25. ↑ "Zach Veach – 2020 NTT IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.