"True gladiator battles": IndyCar fans react as Conor Daly shares unseen onboard of contesting Pato O'Ward for race lead at WWTR

IndyCar fans went gaga over Conor Daly's POV of his battle with Pato O'Ward at the Bommarito Automotive Group 500. The Juncos Hollinger Racing driver shared unseen onboard footage from that battle for the race lead on social media.

Daly started the race in P15 but magically gained eight positions in under two minutes after the race went green. He made some masterful passes by taking the high line. However, it was his intense battle with Pato O'Ward after a lap 149 restart that garnered more eyeballs because it was for the race lead.

The restart came after Louis Foster and Josef Newgarden's horrendous crash on lap 129. O'Ward led the race, with Conor Daly right on his gearbox. The JHR driver attempted to overtake his Arrow McLaren rival by going high in each turn, but the latter's defense was sublime.

Daly shared a video of the whole battle from his in-car camera on X. In the caption of the post, he wrote:

"Pure. Racing. Fighting for the lead on the absolute limit under the bright lights. The @IndyCar racing I loved watching growing up. Can’t wait for the next battle @PatricioOWard."

You can take a look at the video below:

IndyCar fans couldn't help but swoon over the wheel-to-wheel battle and commend both drivers for keeping it clean. One fan compared them to gladiators, writing:

"That was so insane!!! True gladiator battles!"

James Lee

@jimmylee808

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That was so insane!!! True gladiator battles!

IndyCar's official pace car driver, Oriol Servià, also reacted to the post.

"That was really fun to watch. Amazing driving," he wrote.

Here are some more reactions from fans in awe of the battle:

"That was the best racing I've seen all year. I just wish that would have been the final laps so you could have gotten the win," wrote one fan.

"Intense battle. Great clean driving from both. Shit looks way harder in the cockpit than it does from the stands," another user wrote.

"That duel was MASSIVE …! This is the kind of racing why I always will love #INDYCAR more than F1. (and yes, part of it‘s the ovals)," another added.

"It was a little bit scary! But amazing to watch. Great drive by both of you!" said another.

Conor Daly eventually made it past O'Ward to the delight of fans in the grandstands.

Conor Daly hails Pato O'Ward as "one of the best drivers" after tough battle at WWTR

Conor Daly drives his No. 75 JHR Chevy at the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 - Source: Getty

Conor Daly and Pato O'Ward were in P4 and P5 before the lap 149 restart. However, they jumped the leaders in the pits during the caution and reaped the benefits up front.

O'Ward eventually finished in P2 on the podium behind race winner Kyle Kirkwood, while Daly had issues on the final stint, with his tires degrading rapidly, somewhat similar to what he faced at the Indy 500. He finished in P6.

After the race, the No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Racing driver credited O'Ward for the respectful battle.

"He raced me clean. There's a reason that guy's got a plane and a bunch of money. He's one of the best drivers right now. He's really good, raced me clean, and I got to respect that. But we were better than he was, for sure. Our car was better," Daly said via FrontStretch.

Conor Daly's P6 finish was his best result of the season. He heads into the upcoming race weekend (June 22) at Road America on a high.