Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL) announced Aug. 7 that Juri Vips will return to NTT INDYCAR SERIES competition for his third start with the team at the BitNile.com Grand Prix of Portland on Sunday, Aug. 25 at Portland International Raceway.

Vips, who turns 24 on Aug. 10, competed for the team at Portland and WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in 2023 and will drive the No. 75 AMADA Honda in the team’s fourth entry in Portland, along with cars for Graham Rahal, Pietro Fittipaldi and Christian Lundgaard.

Estonian driver Vips made his NTT INDYCAR SERIES debut in 2023 at Portland, starting and finishing 18th.

“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.”

Vips first tested an NTT INDYCAR SERIES car for RLL on Oct. 12, 2022, at Sebring International Raceway and again March 13, 2023, at Barber Motorsports Park. He has performed static simulator testing for RLL since 2023.

Before coming to America, Vips competed in the FIA Formula 2 Championship – the final ladder rung before Formula One – from 2020-22, winning three races.

“We’re pleased to be able to run Juri in Portland for a number of reasons,” RLL co-owner Bobby Rahal said. “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.”