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Daly Returns To Indianapolis 500 With Andretti Autosport

Conor Daly. [John Wiedemann Photo]

Conor Daly ran the U.S. Air Force sponsored Honda in the 2018 Indianapolis 500. [John Wiedemann Photo]

It was announced today that Conor Daly is set to return to the NTT IndyCar Series and compete in the 103rd running of the Indianapolis 500 in the fifth entry for Andretti Autosport.

Both Conor Daly and Andretti Autosport CEO Michael Andretti met with the media to discuss the deal along with General Jeannie Leavitt, commander of the U.S. Air Force recruiting services.

Returning to sponsor Daly as they did in last year’s Indianapolis 500 is the U.S. Air Force. The care will be the No. 25 United States Air Force Honda.

“It’s a fantastic opportunity,” exclaimed Daly. “I think no one doubts the fact that Andretti has had so much success at the track, at the event, the whole series in general. I have two Indy 500 champions as teammates, just an incredible wealth of experience. It’s going to be awesome, certainly my best shot at the race ever. The car is going to look stupendous, the team is going to do an incredible job. I can’t wait just to get to work, that’s the thing. It’s going to be hard to count down the days, but May will be here in no time, for sure.”

“We’ve been working for quite a few years to try to figure out how we can get Conor into our family. We
highly rate him as a driver,” said Andretti. “We think Conor will fit in here perfectly with all the other teammates that he’s going to have. I think we have something unique having five American
drivers on the same team at the Indianapolis 500. Is great to have the U.S. Air Force to be a part of it.”

“We are very excited because there are so many common attributes, if you will, that we have between the Air Force and Andretti, when you talk about teamwork, when you talk about excellence, really going after the winning team,” said General Jeannie Leavitt. “We are excited, and they’re excited to be part of this partnership as we move forward.”

Daly has run in the last five Indianapolis 500 events with a best finish of 20th last year while running the U.S. Air Force No. 17 Honda for Dale Coyne Racing/Thom Burns Racing. Filling in at Harding Racing for three events last year, Daly posted two top 15 finishes including a 13th place run at Toronto, the best finish for the team at that point of the season.

This year’s Andretti Autosport ride for Daly will arguably give him the best shot at a win in the legendary race.

“I feel good. I feel confident. Every time I’ve been able to get into an IndyCar, I feel ready to be able to deliver, no matter what the level of equipment is,” Daly explained. “I’m excited to see basically the high end of the spectrum. We know it will be a good situation. I can’t wait to see what it feels like.”

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