Juri Vips is back for another showcase of his skills with Rahal Letterman Lanigan that could lead to a race seat opportunity in 2025. The Estonian made his debut for RLL at Portland in 2023 and will get another run with the team’s No. 75 Honda when the NTT IndyCar Series returns to the Oregon road course on Aug. 25.

RLL hired Vips after his impressive outings at Portland and the following race in Monterey last year, and with his work for the team behind the scenes, he’s become a favorite within the program as it looks to fill at least one upcoming vacancy when Christian Lundgaard departs for Arrow McLaren.

“We’re pleased to be able to run Juri in Portland for a number of reasons,” said RLL co-owner Bobby Rahal. “For one, he showed at both Portland and Laguna Seca last year that he certainly has the pace to feature in any event he runs with us. He has done a lot of work for us in the simulator this year, which has helped us understand the hybrid system, so it’s nice to reward him for his effort. I’m hopeful that this will lead to more races for him with RLL.”

Vips qualified seventh at Laguna Seca, which demonstrated his rapid progress in a new car at a new track. Returning to a familiar circuit like Portland should allow Vips — who turns 24 on Saturday — a chance to reinforce his position within RLL.

“I’m very grateful to the team for giving me this opportunity,” Vips said. “I have been working closely with the team on the simulator program and it has been a year since I have been in the car, but I’m confident that the experience gained last year at Portland and Laguna Seca will help me to get up to speed quickly. It will still be a very big challenge and one I am very much looking forward to.”