Ed Carpenter Racing has announced that Conor Daly will be driving the #20 BitNile entry full time in the 2022 IndyCar season.
Returning to the team for a third consecutive season, Daly will partner with young Dutchman Rinus VeeKay in the two-car squad for all 17 races on the calendar.
Some doubt was placed on the popular driver’s ability to secure a seat for 2022 after the United States Air Force pulled out as a sponsor at the end of last year after multiple years in the series.
The new deal with BitNile certainly helped Daly put together a deal for the upcoming season, and continues the expansion of decentralized finance into the racing world.
ECR has been one of the teams at the forefront in terms of cryptocurrency sponsorship, having even run a special BitCoin livery for last year’s Indy 500.
“Being chosen to represent BitNile is without a doubt one of the most important opportunities of my career,” said Daly in a release. “This is an incredible partnership that we look forward to being able to strengthen and grow as we go after race wins together!
“To be able to come back to Ed Carpenter Racing for the full season is incredible. I haven’t had the chance to be with one team for the entire year since 2017, so this is something I am very, very thankful for.
“I have a lot of faith in ECR and each year we continue to get better together. I couldn’t be more excited to get on track in the BitNile Chevrolet!”
This will be the first year since 2017 that Daly has had a full season with a single team. He has, however, run every race in the past two seasons by splitting his duties between Carlin and ECR.
With the 30-year-old being behind the wheel of the #20 for every race, a bit of an unknown situation has been created for team owner Ed Carpenter in terms of his own race participation.
Traditionally, he has driven one of his own cars in the series’ oval races, and has found a part time driver to tackle the road and street courses throughout the season.
For now, the only race Carpenter is confirmed for is the Indy 500, and the team has yet to secure a deal to field a third car on the remaining three oval races.
