Conor Daly, An Example Of A Nice Guy That Is Succeeding

Conor Daly in action in the Dale Coyne Racing Honda. [Joe Jennings Photo]

By Joe Jennings

Watkins Glen, N. Y. – Coming into the 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series season, Conor Daly had only six races under his belt and while rides are hard to find, it was not for lack of trying. He showed up ready to race should the opportunity present itself, and it paid dividends at Long Beach a year ago when Dale Coyne Racing needed a substitute driver at the last minute. Daly eagerly jumped in.

Fast forwarding to 2016, he secured a full-time ride with Dale Coyne Racing and he has excelled, particularly on the road courses. After 14 races, the likable Indiana driver has picked up four top-10s, including an impressive second place at Belle Isle. His report card reflects 56 lead laps in five races and running at finish in 10 of the 14 events.

“My season has gone well, and we have a lot to be proud of. A lot of top-six finishes and we almost won in Detroit and in Mid-Ohio,” the 24-year old driver said. “All-in-all we have had a good year. We have had some things go wrong and some things break, plus I have made some mistakes. In general, our year has gone better than I thought it would.”

Dale Coyne Racing has a full roster of drivers, which Daly finds helpful. Multiple drivers mean more input and data for analysis. Sometimes too many drivers can cause confusion but not so for Daly, saying each driver can be helpful. Even though a relative newcomer to the series, Daly longed for guidance from other drivers but that hasn’t happened. “Everybody keeps their hands to themselves and their advice to themselves. I do lean on (roommate) James Hinchcliffe for a lot of things and occasionally, others offer small pieces of advice every now and then.”

Daly lives in Hinchcliffe’s house in Indianapolis, having hooked up with the flashy Canadian while the latter was recovering from serious injuries sustained during practice for the 2015 Indianapolis 500. “James needed someone at the house after his last surgery, and I ended up staying.”

Bryan Clauson was a teammate of Daly’s for this year’s Indianapolis 500 and Daly was among the many who took Clauson’s death from a midget crash very hard.

Tributes were plenteous and drivers Kyle Larson, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Daly and others carried Clauson’s name on their cars, uniforms and helmets. For the recent ABC Supply 500 at the Pocono Raceway, Dale Coyne and sponsor Jonathan Byrd elected to change Daly’s car number from No. 18 to No. 88, the number of Clauson’s entry in the Indianapolis 500.

Said Daly, “Whatever we can do keep positive memories flowing, we will keep making him proud. We are doing what we can do, and I was happy to carry the No. 88. I knew Bryan quite well, as we are both from Noblesville, Indiana. We were close, starting when we shared an Indy Lights car in 2011.”

Coyne believes in Daly, calling him a skilled driver and expects to have him on the team next year. “Conor has a lot of enthusiasm and he’s a great kid,” the team owner said about his classy driver.

Daly’s career is progressing forward and can be expected to continue climbing the ladder of success in the years ahead.

Related Posts

• 
  Sebring 2024
• 
  Giuseppe Victorious
• 
  Car or Driver