Conor Daly, the “super replacement” called to return to service

Son of the former pilot of Formula 1 andIndyCar Derek Daly, the young Conor quickly took the same path as his father, leaving for Europe as a teenager, to pursue an F1 dream. Third in the GP3 championship in 2013, Daly made it as far as GP2, after notably driving a Formula 1 during a test session for the Force India team in 2012. But the results did not follow, and At the end of 2014, short of budget, his dreams of reaching the motorsport firmament were definitively buried. Not enough to dampen the morale of someone who is one of the rare professional drivers to race despite Type 1 diabetes, diagnosed when he was 14 years old.

A native of Noblesville, Indiana, IndyCar was obviously an obvious choice to pursue a high-level racing career. After starting at the 500 Indianapolis 2013 in the team of legend AJ Foyt, Daly was present from the start of the 2015 season, with his helmet, his suit, looking for the slightest opportunity. A strategy that paid off in the third round of the championship, in the streets of Long Beach. Rocky Moran Jr., who was due to make his debut for Dale Coyne Racing, injured his hand during free practice. Who was then called to replace him? Conor Daly! The American did not make any sparks, but firmly brought his car in 17rd position.

Heading then to the 500 Miles of Indianapolis for Daly, who for the occasion had a seat within Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, in collaboration with the team of NASCAR of the King, Richard Petty. And it was on May 24, 2015 that the nickname “Bad Luck Conor” was born… Indeed, Daly did not even start the event due to a fire at the back of his car, sponsored by a brand of grilled bacon, you can't make this up. A hard blow, certainly, but less serious than the one which struck his teammate James Hinchcliffe, seriously injured in an accident during practice, and replaced for the race by Ryan Briscoe. Daly would replace Hinchcliffe for three races that season, including a sixth-place finish at Detroit.

Complete seasons not up to par

Enough to allow him to sign for a full season in 2016 with Dale Coyne! But sometimes stability doesn't help you achieve results. Despite a podium finish in Detroit, which quickly became his favorite circuit, Conor Daly was forced to leave the team at the end of the season, before signing with AJ Foyt. There too, the results did not live up to expectations, in what was still a team accustomed to the back of the peloton. At the start of 2018, Daly was back to square one, helmet in hand.

In the meantime, the man who became a fan favorite, who could, during the Indy 500 in particular, identify with a local (his father-in-law, Doug Boles, is the president of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway ), had established links with the US Air Force, which agreed to sponsor him for the 500 Indianapolis 2018. A race which then led him to three other starts for Harding Racing. Conor Daly was beginning to gain a reputation as a driver who could be counted on for exceptional situations, offering good technical feedback, and a near guarantee of not ending the race in the wall.

Luxury freelancer

An ideal profile for Trevor Carlin in 2019, once his driver Max Chilton had announced his desire to no longer race on ovals in IndyCar. After a successful Indy 500 (sixth) with Andretti Autosport, Daly became the oval specialist for the small British team, against whom he was fighting in Europe, in promotional formulas. Sixth again, at the end of the season at Gateway, he would spend the next two seasons in a new role, almost tailor-made for him! Driver on the road and street circuits for the team of Ed Carpenter, another Indiana native (and son-in-law of former Indianapolis Motor Speedway boss Tony George), and driver on the ovals for Carlin !

A balance to find, which involved moving from one team to another throughout the season, but ultimately it was what the American was used to doing throughout his career. Carpenter rewarded him in 2022 by offering him a full-time seat on his team, and that's unfortunately where things got stuck again. If his teammate Rinus VeeKay managed to put himself forward occasionally, Daly spent the entire season stuck at the back of the pack, before starting on the same basis in 2023. Divorce was inevitable, after the Detroit round. Once again, headset in one hand… and microphone in the other, since he had launched his podcast, Daly walked around the paddocks.

Until Mid-Ohio weekend, where simon pagenaud experienced his terrible exit from the track on Saturday morning, before qualifying. But who could replace the French pilot? You know the answer, and Conor Daly competed in four races that year for Meyer Shank Racing. This season, after a very good Indy 500 concluded in the top 10 for the Dreyer & Reinbold team (entered only at Indianapolis), Daly replaced Jack Harvey at short notice at Iowa Speedway. And last week, when it was necessary to replace Agustin Canapino in testing, the Argentinian having since lost his drive at Juncos Hollinger Racing, it was of course the 32-year-old American who stuck to it! With four races on ovals in the five remaining events, it is clearly not impossible to see the “super replacement” of IndyCar again this year, in what will be his tenth team, in eleven years in the championship. A journey that the Americans would describe as a “journeyman”, also passed throughEndurance and NASCAR. But often, it's the underdogs like Conor Daly who remind us why motorsport is so special...

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