Conor Daly has interest in NASCAR for 2018

American open-wheel racer Conor Daly expresses interest in NASCAR

Conor Daly, age 26, is an Indiana native. Naturally, he career path was open-wheel racing.

He began his career in go karts, following the Stars of Karting touring series. He then began a journey up the Indycar Series development ladder.

In 2009, he won the Star Mazda championship. He did it by setting a series record with 9 pole positions and 7 wins. From there, he moved into the Indy Lights program, just a single level below Indycar.

At the same time, Daly was pulling double duty. Simultaneously, Daly was competing in the GP3 series. That’s part of the F1 racing ladder. In 2014, he progressed to the GP2 Series, one level below F1.

Conor Daly
Conor Daly (Photo: Chris Owens)

At this point, Conor Daly became just one step away from the premier series on both sides of the world. He was 1 level below F1, the world championship touring series. All the while, he was also running the Indy Lights program, one level below the premier open wheel racing division in America.

In 2016, Daly finally got his shot. He was signed to drive for Dale Coyne Racing. He competed in a full season with the Verizon Indycar Seres. Last year, he drove for A.J. Foyt Racing.

In October, team owner A.J. Foyt announced that both Daly and Carlos Munoz would not return for 2018. This move came as a surprise to Daly.

Conor Daly at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach
Conor Daly at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach (Photo: Chris Owens)

“I’m very disappointed because I planned on being with A.J. for the immediate future and I thought things were looking good,” Daly told RACER back in October 2017.

“I just wish we could have spent at least one more year together because we made some nice progress at the end of this season,” Daly concluded his year-end thoughts.

At age 26, Daly is now likely too old to begin a F1 career. He’s more tune to finding a ride here in America.

2018

Today, Conor Daly is still on a search for a 2018 ride. He’s also open to more opportunities than just IndyCar.

2017 Mid-Ohio NASCAR TV Schedule
LEXINGTON OH – AUGUST 13: Mike Bliss driver of the Arthritis Foundation #14 Toyota David Starr driver of the #39 Massimo Motors Chevrolet Stanton Barrett driver of the #15 Lilly Trucking Ford and Kenny Habul driver of the #88 SunEnergy1 Chevrolet race on track during the 4th annual NASCAR XFINITY Series Mid-Ohio Challenge at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on August 13, 2016 in Lexington Ohio. (Photo by Jonathan Moore/Getty Images)

“I’d love to try and do NASCAR stuff,” Daly stated on the Marshall Pruett Podcast.

He continued, “I’ve been trying to talk to XFINITY teams about the road course races. I think that would be very entertaining. I think it would be a great idea.”

“I obviously love my INDYCAR family. But if there’s no possibilities there and there seems to be some chances to be had in the NASCAR world, then I’m certainly going to take it. Because I want to drive anything that I can.”

The first Indycar race is scheduled for March 11th, 2018 on the Streets of St. Petersburg.

The first NASCAR Xfinity Series road course is scheduled deep into the 2018 season. On August 11, the NASCAR Xfinity Series heads to the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

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