Meyer Shank Racing announced on Tuesday that Conor Daly will fill in for Simon Pagenaud at the upcoming double-header from Iowa Speedway.
Pagenaud has not been cleared to race by the IndyCar medical team, with his violent crash at Mid-Ohio three weeks ago still having lingering effects on the 39-year-old veteran.
Daly was called in to drive the #60 the day after Pagenaud accident, and will again drive his car for the two events on the short oval in Iowa.
Daly is available to fill in on account of Ed Carpenter Racing releasing him from his seat earlier this year.
“I’m thankful to Mike [Shank] and Jim [Meyer] to calling me up to fill in for Simon again this weekend in Iowa,” said Daly in the announcement. “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. Obviously I have qualified really well there – qualified on the pole and started in the top three the last two years. 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 for AutoNation and SiriusXM.”
Last weekend Tom Blomqvist filled in for Pagenaud and made his IndyCar debut on the streets of Toronto, although he was forced to retire on the first lap due to contact.
Although Pagenaud was cleared of any physical injuries following his crash, lingering cognitive issues have prevented IndyCar from allowing him to compete.
A busy weekend driving around the 7/8-mile oval in Iowa would have been one of the toughest events to manage regarding any lingering dizziness Pagenaud may have, and it is understandable that officials wouldn’t want that to be his first real world test.
Daly will take his first laps of the weekend on Friday afternoon, followed by 250-lap races on Saturday and Sunday.
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