A surprise return to the Verizon IndyCar Series continues as Harding Racing confirms Conor Daly to drive the #88 Chevrolet this weekend at Pocono. The team confirmed the seat in a statement on Wednesday.
The start will be the third consecutive for Daly, who had been exploring alternative options after failing to secure a full-time IndyCar ride for 2018. These included a one-off Indianapolis 500 start with Dale Coyne Racing and his debut in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Road America.
Harding Racing placed Daly in the car for Honda Indy Toronto, stating that they were exploring options to run a second car in 2019 and that Daly was a candidate driver. Now, with three races and a range of courses under his belt, the future is looking brighter for Daly and the team.
“Harding Racing feels our second half of the season program has generated considerable benefits for us,” team boss Brian Barnhart said in the statement. “We’re going to continue that at Pocono Raceway in an effort to make sure that Conor had an opportunity to participate on all the disciplines that are included in the Verizon IndyCar Series schedule.”
The disciplines in question are a major factor for Daly’s return, allowing the team to collect data and experience with another driver on a range of circuits. The experience is as exciting for Daly as it is crucial for Harding.
“Having the chance to race at Pocono is really exciting for me,” Daly said, “because it means as a team we’ll have had a chance to race at a road course, street course and superspeedway together. It’ll be a new challenge for us to work through, and I can’t wait for it.”
“Thankfully, after competing at the Indy 500 this year, I have some experience with the superspeedway aero package which gives me some more confidence heading into the weekend. The Chevrolet engine was obviously very strong at Indy, so I look forward to working with them alongside the Harding Racing boys yet again this year.”
Daly finished P15 in a strong Honda Indy Toronto debut. The following race, the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio, a potentially solid run was lost when the #88 Chevrolet ran out of gas. Daly finished P22.
