Conor Daly seeks a déjà vu moment of 2021 season in this year’s Indy 500

Home hero and Juncos Hollinger Racing driver Conor Daly will start the Indy 500 race from 13th on the grid. Aiming for the chequered flag, he wants to recreate moments from the 105th edition of the Indy 500, which was held in 2021.

Conor Daly is in pursuit of his first NTT INDYCAR SERIES victory in his first season with JHR, driving the #76 Chevrolet. He remains optimistic, believing that this car provides a genuine opportunity to contend for the win.

In the 2021 Indianapolis 500, Daly led the race for 40 of the 200 laps while driving for Ed Carpenter Racing. He first assumed the lead on Lap 50, however, his ambitions were disrupted on Lap 119 when a loose wheel from Graham Rahal’s car struck the nose of Daly’s vehicle in Turn 2. The resulting damage significantly compromised the car's aerodynamic performance, ultimately hindering his ability to rejoin the fight at the front and leading to a 13th-place finish.

He recalled that it was the best car he had, similar to the one he has this year.

“Gives me a little bit of a feeling that I had in 2021, which was the best car that I've ever had here,” Daly said. (via IndyCar)

“I get that feeling that this thing (car) sucks up really well in the tow and the draft, and it's just got the ability to race well,” he added.

Notably, Daly has had six top 10 finishes in the Indy 500 and has led the same number of laps (69) in the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing” as two-time reigning winner Josef Newgarden.

---

Conor Daly owns up mistake or falling short of the Fast 12 at Indy 500 qualifying

INDYCAR Open Testing - Indianapolis - Source: Getty

Conor Daly was unable to advance to the Fast 12 during qualifying for the Indianapolis 500 on Saturday, May 17. Following the session, Daly took full responsibility for the outcome, acknowledging his error and accepting accountability for not securing a spot in the next round.

Conor Daly seemed on track to claim the 12th and final position in the Fast 12 after delivering three solid laps during qualifying. However, a slight decrease in speed on his final lap around the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway proved costly. He recorded a four-lap average speed of 231.725 mph, falling just 0.0564 seconds short over 10 miles, ultimately placing him 13th and narrowly missing advancement. Reflecting on the outcome, Daly assumed full responsibility, attributing the missed opportunity to his performance.

“I really wanted to get into that Fast 12,” Daly said. “I investigated holding sixth gear through Turns 1 and 2, and it worked for those middle two laps. But I didn’t get the weight jacker back in time for Turn 1 on the last lap. Literally, the team deserves to be in the Fast 12. I made the mistake of trying to push it too much and not getting the weight jacker back in time. Just got a little bit tight in (Turns) 1 and 2.”

Conor Daly will start the race from 11th despite qualifying 13th owing to the disqualification of the two Team Penske cars of Josef Newgarden and Will Power, who have been demoted to 32nd and 33rd.