Conor Daly will carry the branding and colors of Polkadot on the No. 24 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing-Cusick Motorsports Chevy he’ll pilot at the Indianapolis 500. According to the company, “This sponsorship represents the first time a major athlete’s …
Conor Daly will carry the branding and colors of Polkadot on the No. 24 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing-Cusick Motorsports Chevy he’ll pilot at the Indianapolis 500.
According to the company, “This sponsorship represents the first time a major athlete’s sponsorship has been decided by a community vote using blockchain technology. The proposal to sponsor Daly passed with an overwhelming 95.8% approval, demonstrating the community’s eagerness to showcase blockchain technology’s real-world applications.”
Daly is entered in his 11th Indy 500 and his first with the Indy-only specialists at DRR.
“The fact that thousands of individuals in the Polkadot community – not a corporate marketing team – used their voices to vote and select me as their ambassador is an incredible honor and reflective of the power of what a more free and open internet can look like in the future,” Daly said.
“The fact that I’m racing not just for a brand name or logo, but representing developers, investors and regular people that are building tomorrow’s web, is thrilling and overwhelming. We’re bringing power back to people, while making sports history.”
“All of these people are here for All-Star Weekend, and I’m the Hoosier representative,” Tyrese Haliburton told For The Win.
Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton is one of the busiest individuals at the NBA’s 2024 All-Star Weekend.
Haliburton, who led Eastern Conference guards in All-Star votes from fans as well as media and players, earned an appearance as the starting point guard in the East for the All-Star Game.
The 23-year-old represents the Pacers, the hosts of NBA All-Star Weekend for the first time since 1985. He is just the fourth player in franchise history to ever make an appearance in the starting lineup of the All-Star Game. For the second year in a row, Haliburton will also participate in the Starry 3-point Contest.
Dennis Reinbold will have a pair of oval experts in Conor Daly and 2014 Indianapolis 500 winner Ryan Hunter-Reay for both of Dreyer & Reinbold Racing’s Indianapolis 500 entries and welcome a new event partner in Don Cusick to the DRR family. The …
Dennis Reinbold will have a pair of oval experts in Conor Daly and 2014 Indianapolis 500 winner Ryan Hunter-Reay for both of Dreyer & Reinbold Racing’s Indianapolis 500 entries and welcome a new event partner in Don Cusick to the DRR family.
The American duo represents the strongest lineup assembled by the Indianapolis-based team since its formation in 2000. And with the addition of Cusick Motorsports as a partner across both entries, Reinbold is happy to see their relationship, which started in 2023 by fielding a car for Stefan Wilson, expand into one that includes Daly and Hunter-Reay under the Dreyer & Reinbold-Cusick Motorsports banner.
“Don’s going to take a role on both cars as opposed to a one car with Stefan last year and we’re just all going to work together to try to generate the appropriate amount of sponsorship to apply to the two cars,” Reinbold told RACER. “This is a great group to go racing with, and we couldn’t ask for two better drivers than Ryan and Conor.”
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For Cusick, going racing for the first time without Wilson will be a bittersweet experience, especially after he was ruled out from racing last year after being injured in a post-qualifying crash caused by a rival, but he hopes the evolving relationship with DRR can include the Briton in the future.
“We’re definitely not done with Stefan,” Cusick said. “The situation with teams and available cars and engines at Indy, we talked to everybody and weren’t able to find anything that worked for us with a team that had an opening. So our thought was to keep Cusick Motorsports involved, and we felt that if we weren’t there, we might break the chain, so we wanted to continue with Dreyer & Reinbold.
“There’s no better way to make that happen than to get more involved with Dennis and his team — and if we could do a third car in the future for Stef, we’d like to do that, even if it means buying a car for it. The way I look at it is last year [with DRR] we were dating. This year’s we’re engaged, and if all continues to go well, next year, we’ll get married.”
For Hunter-Reay, who joined DRR for the first time in 2023 (pictured, top) and charged from 18th to 11th in the race while dealing with a broken front-wing adjuster, the opportunity to build on the positives and work with Daly is a source of great encouragement.
“I really enjoyed every day going to the track and working with this group and the constant feeling of enthusiasm throughout the whole garage,” said the 2012 IndyCar Series champion. “We were competitive the whole time and had a really strong effort on race day. I was eager to come back with them for 2024 and I’ll miss having Stef there, but I’ve texted with Conor and we’ll get to work on making this team the strongest it can be.”
Conor Daly is relishing an Indy 500 reset alongside Hunter-Reay. Motorsport Images
Hunter-Reay and Daly laughed at the notion of DRR-Cusick’s Indy 500 lineup being an “Ed Carpenter Racing Reunion Tour” after Daly was released by ECR in June and replaced by Hunter-Reay who was uninterested in returning after the 2023 season was completed.
Daly had a few spicy words to offer for Hunter-Reay in the aftermath of the ECR driver change, but there are no lingering issues between the IndyCar veterans as they join forces with DRR-Cusick.
“Dennis actually first called me maybe two years ago to ask about my availability, but I was returning to my former employer so it wasn’t right on the timing. But when I was free, he called and said, ‘I believe you can win this race, and we really want to work with you,’” Daly said. “And I was like, ‘Well, that’s what I want to do!’ Dennis said, ‘I don’t care what it takes, we just want you to drive for us and we don’t need you to come with any money,’ and I knew it would be silly not to take advantage of this opportunity.
“I also wanted to thank Don Cusick for getting involved with us, and being teamed up with Captain America, Mr. Ryan Hunter-Reay, is going to be really cool. Despite what I might have thought or said about him last year, it’s two Americans using Chevrolet engines in a great team with a great chance of doing something big.”
Conor Daly will return to Nitrocross for next weekend’s trip north of the border to GMC Stadium in Calgary, which will host the only snow and ice round of the season. Daly will once again race for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing in the headline …
Conor Daly will return to Nitrocross for next weekend’s trip north of the border to GMC Stadium in Calgary, which will host the only snow and ice round of the season.
Daly will once again race for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing in the headline all-electric Group E class, having featured for the team twice earlier this season, driving alongside Robin Larsson, Andreas Bakkerud and Fraser McConnell. For the last two events — doubleheaders in Phoenix and California — Dreyer & Reinbold’s fourth car has been occupied by Brian Deegan.
“I’m thrilled to be back with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing JC for Round 8 of the Nitrocross season,” said Daly. “Ice will be a new challenge for me as dirt was earlier in the season, however, I believe I will be able to adapt quickly.
“The team’s commitment to excellence and the electric atmosphere of Nitrocross make this a perfect fit for me. I can’t wait to hit the track for an unforgettable race.”
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Daly made his debut in the category at the season opener in Oklahoma last June, and raced in rounds two and three at Utah Motorsports Campus in August. He took his best finish to-date in the first part of that doubleheader, finishing fifth ahead of reigning champion and current points leader Larsson.
“Dreyer & Reinbold Racing JC is delighted to welcome Conor Daly back to our team for Round 8 of the Nitrocross season,” said Dreyer & Reinbold Racing team owner Dennis Reinbold. “Conor’s previous performances have showcased his talent and determination, and we are confident that his return will add an extra layer of excitement to the upcoming race.”
Firestone’s first-time deployment of alternate tires on an oval was met with similar reactions from a range of NTT IndyCar Series drivers on Saturday at World Wide Technology Raceway. With drivers required to complete at least two laps on the …
Firestone’s first-time deployment of alternate tires on an oval was met with similar reactions from a range of NTT IndyCar Series drivers on Saturday at World Wide Technology Raceway.
With drivers required to complete at least two laps on the alternates during Sunday’s 260-lap race, the rubber was slightly faster than Firestone’s primary compound, but not enough to create an impression that they’ll deteriorate at an advanced rate.
“They didn’t seem wildly different,” said Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden, who was fastest in the No. 2 Chevy. “That’s my intuition. Hard to say until we do it for real. We’re all going to find out together in the race. But I think off the limited amount of data we have, I don’t know that there’s going to be a big difference between them. With that, it’s not going to give a lot of preference [towards either tire].”
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s Conor Daly was eighth overall and fastest of the RLL trio on his debut for the team. Like Newgarden, he didn’t find the alternates to be radically different from the primaries, but he did end the 60-minute session with a strong opinion on which compound he wants to spend the most time on in the race.
“I would say thankfully it wasn’t too big of a surprise,” Daly said. “For me, I was like, ‘Okay, not terrifying.’ It’s not all of a sudden you went out and had a ton of front grip and the thing was super loose.
“I saw a few other drivers; you might miss an apex here or there to try to figure out the entry security compared to how much grip it’s got at the center. For me, there was definitely a noticeable balance change and a noticeable wear. I guess that’s the goal. I prefer the primary tires, I tell you that. But that’s what’s supposed to make it exciting.”
Conor Daly will return to Nitrocross this weekend for the all-electric rallycross-like series’ second and third rounds of the 2023-24 season at the Utah Motorsports Campus. “I’m thrilled to be continuing with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing for the next …
Conor Daly will return to Nitrocross this weekend for the all-electric rallycross-like series’ second and third rounds of the 2023-24 season at the Utah Motorsports Campus.
“I’m thrilled to be continuing with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing for the next rounds in Utah of the Nitrocross season,” said Daly. “The first round was an incredible experience, and I am genuinely impressed with the dedication and professionalism of the team.
“Utah Motorsports Campus is a fantastic venue, and I’m eager to take on the unique challenges it presents. I’m excited to keep the momentum going and go for another strong showing!”
Daly — who will also be back in IndyCar the following weekend, driving the No. 30 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda at World Wide Technology Raceway — made his Nitrocross debut at the season opener in Oklahoma in June, and ended an impressive eighth overall, making the final in what was his first real-world off-road racing experience.
“Dreyer & Reinbold Racing is thrilled to have Conor Daly back with us for Round 2 and 3 of the Nitrocross season,” added team owner Dennis Reinbold. “His exceptional talent, dedication, and fearlessness have been evident in every race he’s participated in.
“We are confident that Conor’s presence on the team will continue to push us towards the top of the leaderboard, and we can’t wait to see him take on the challenging Utah Motorsports Campus.”
The long-rumored split between Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing and its beleaguered driver Jack Harvey has been confirmed. Harvey, who joined RLL in its expanded third entry in 2022, will not contest the final three races of the season as RLL both …
The long-rumored split between Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing and its beleaguered driver Jack Harvey has been confirmed. Harvey, who joined RLL in its expanded third entry in 2022, will not contest the final three races of the season as RLL both evaluates new talent and does its best to earn one of the lucrative Leaders Circle contracts with the No. 30 Honda formerly driven by the Briton.
Conor Daly will pilot the car at the 1.25-mile World Wide Technology Raceway oval, and while only Daly has been named, RACER understands Toby Sowery and Juri Vips are strong contenders to make appearances at Portland and Monterey.
“First, I would like to thank Jack Harvey for all of his efforts on behalf of RLL for the last year and a half.,” said RLL co-owner Bobby Rahal. “He committed fully to the team but for whatever reason, we weren’t able to achieve the results that he or the team deserves and we wish him well in the future.
“We will use the final three races of the season to gauge other racing talent. I’m very pleased that Conor has agreed to join us in St. Louis. He’s been strong there and I feel that he can bring value to the team while also providing us with a strong effort. I look forward to having him with us.”
For Daly, an oval specialist, a solid run at WWTR could pull the No. 30 Honda, which sits 23rd in Entrants’ points, into the top 22 where the $910,000 Leaders Circle contracts are offered by the series.
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“It means a lot to have a chance to drive for the Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing team,” Daly said. “I’ve known Bobby ever since I was a child, our families are very close. Mike Lanigan is someone that has known my dad for a long time, and I’ve known him well too. And David Letterman is a friend of our family as well so it’s very special to have the chance to drive for this organization.
“I will obviously do the best job that I can for them to make them proud and make their partners proud and I hope to be able to deliver everything they are looking for. I’m excited for the chance to get back behind the wheel at one of my favorite tracks at World Wide Technology Raceway.”
The lingering effects from Simon Pagenaud’s massive crash in practice earlier this month at Mid-Ohio will sideline the 2016 IndyCar champion and 2019 Indy 500 winner for this weekend’s doubleheader at Iowa Speedway. In his place is former Iowa …
The lingering effects from Simon Pagenaud’s massive crash in practice earlier this month at Mid-Ohio will sideline the 2016 IndyCar champion and 2019 Indy 500 winner for this weekend’s doubleheader at Iowa Speedway. In his place is former Iowa polesitter Conor Daly, who subbed for the Frenchman at Meyer Shank Racing in Mid-Ohio.
“I’m thankful to Mike [Shank] and Jim [Meyer] to calling me up to fill in for Simon again this weekend in Iowa,” Daly said. “Obviously I’m wishing him the best and hope that he gets well soon. Iowa has definitely become one of my favorite tracks in the last couple of years.”
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Daly will pilot the No. 60 Honda carrying a special livery promoting the new SiriusXM channel for country singer Carrie Underwood, who is performing at the Iowa Hy-Vee IndyCar Weekend event.
“I have qualified really well there – qualified on the pole and started in the top three the last two years,” Daly continued. “Hopefully we can replicate that qualifying performance, but also deliver in the race. The team does an incredible job to prepare the car, so we’re going to do our best for Simon again. We’ll do everything we can to score some more points for the team and I’m thankful to drive this No. 60 car again.”
Pagenaud’s car was driven last weekend in Toronto by MSR sports car champion Tom Blomqvist, who qualified 20th and was taken out in a first-lap crash caused by another driver.
Conor Daly isn’t slotted in to drive the No. 60 Honda this weekend, but the Meyer Shank Racing team values his experience and input and has asked the NTT IndyCar Series free agent to plug back into the program at Toronto as a resource for rookie …
Conor Daly isn’t slotted in to drive the No. 60 Honda this weekend, but the Meyer Shank Racing team values his experience and input and has asked the NTT IndyCar Series free agent to plug back into the program at Toronto as a resource for rookie driver Tom Blomqvist.
Daly was deputized to step into the No. 60 for the injured Simon Pagenaud earlier this month at Mid-Ohio and earned rave reviews from the team, and with an opportunity to give MSR’s IMSA champion a look in the car after Pagenaud was ruled out for Toronto by IndyCar’s medical staff, Blomqvist was given the green light to make his series debut and will have Daly on his timing stand and in engineering meetings to support the multi-talented star.
“It’s just been great being involved with the team and Mike Shank’s been super honest with me about this, because obviously it’s a changing situation,” Daly, a veteran of 105 IndyCar races, told RACER. “This is Simon’s car and we’re just here to help the team until he jumps back into his car. But until he does, the team needs to keep racing and so whatever the week-by-week assignments are to help until Simon’s driving again is what we’re here to do.
“I completely understand why Tom’s in the car because he’s got plenty of trophies, and I’ve known Tom for a long time since our GP3 days, so I’ve already been texting with Tom this week trying to help with stuff to prepare for Toronto and it’s just a good relationship. And the MSR guys are super friendly to me.”
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An unrewarding stint with Ed Carpenter Racing came to an end for Daly in June, and with a wide-open future in front of him, the Indiana native is doing exactly what he should be doing by being present at IndyCar events and making his skills and availability known to every team in the paddock. So far, MSR has been the first to make use of his services, and with a recent pole position at Iowa Speedway to his credit, Daly would be a natural fit for the No. 60 car next weekend if Pagenaud is unable to make his return at the doubleheader.
“It’s been a win-win situation,” he added. “It’s great just to be able to offer whatever I can from experience that I’ve got — because, oddly enough, I do have a lot of experience and with a lot of different teams. I do want to get back to racing here as quickly as I can because I still have so much to prove. I don’t know what’s gonna happen in the future, but if you’re ready for one opportunity, as Eminem would say, you’ve got to be able to take advantage of that.
“MSR has a very large footprint in sports cars and IndyCar, and I’ve never lost that drive to be successful. So it’s good to be affiliated. I’m going to be helping however they ask. I’m gonna be here, ready — who knows what that might lead to down the road, but I’m gonna be ready to go racing anytime, anyplace.”
Conor Daly shined on his unexpected return to the NTT IndyCar Series on Sunday at Mid-Ohio and sent a nice reminder to the paddock on the way to leading the Meyer Shank Racing team home in a clean drive from 27th to 20th in the No. 60 Honda. …
Conor Daly shined on his unexpected return to the NTT IndyCar Series on Sunday at Mid-Ohio and sent a nice reminder to the paddock on the way to leading the Meyer Shank Racing team home in a clean drive from 27th to 20th in the No. 60 Honda.
Standing in for Simon Pagenaud, who suffered a brake failure and violent crash Saturday morning, Daly climbed into an unfamiliar car with a team he’d never driven for Sunday morning and made short work of the warmup session, firing the No. 60 into 12th, two spots behind new teammate Helio Castroneves in 10th.
Starting last in the 27-car field, the former Ed Carpenter Racing driver made a mistake-free run as many of his closest rivals spent the afternoon running into each other or running off course. Daly also managed to pass Castroneves at the end of the race and crossed the finish line less than one second behind his ECR replacement, Ryan Hunter-Reay.
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For those who forgot about the immense natural talent that led Daly to IndyCar in 2013, the sharp performance in trying circumstances at Mid-Ohio can only serve to help the 31-year-old find his way back into the series.
“The first time I subbed, I still had qualifying and everything after for Dale Coyne Racing back in the day,” Daly told RACER. “Then when I subbed for Marcus Ericsson at Schmidt [in 2019 at Portland], I had the whole weekend, so this is definitely the latest that I’ve got into a car. There’s a lot there to try to get up to speed with in one session, and we got a few laps, then it was straight into the race.
Despite minimal prep time and some unfamiliar elements, Daly was quickly up to speed in the Meyer Shank Racing Honda. Phillip Abbott/Lumen
“There were a lot of differences to the car I was used to, but the Meyer Shank car suited my driving style for sure. Simon uses a little bit bigger of a steering wheel than I do; the clutch setup is way different on the wheel, so there’s a lot there that’s challenging to program your brain. I didn’t quite get the most out of everything because it’s just very different. But overall, I think it was a very, very fun day once we got past some of the traffic that we obviously had to start behind. Then we could start pushing and getting clear some track and just went hammer down.”
For the first time in a long time, Daly left the track feeling happy and satisfied.
“I really have to thank Mike Shank, because on the Saturday, we obviously didn’t know what was gonna happen with Simon, but Mike was very, very supportive of making sure that I could be as ready as possible,” he said. “So all day Saturday, I was able to get locked in with the engineers and mechanics — I already knew a lot of them and I consider them like my friends, and they wanted to give me whatever I needed to be prepared.
“The car was great to drive and it just put a smile on my face and renewed my spirit. I’m really thankful for that chance to just feel what that feels like again. No one’s ever going to be heroically shouting about finishing P20, but the last part of the race where we made up the five seconds to almost catch Ryan at the end, that was satisfying. I was driving my heart out and enjoying the fact it just felt so good and fun.”
Daly doesn’t want it to be the last time those feelings are experienced.
“I do hope that the folks in the industry are able to see what we did; I haven’t forgotten how to drive,” he said. “I want to be in IndyCar in 2024 more than anything in the world, especially after today.”
