Every driver has strengths and weaknesses, no matter which series or type of vehicle they are racing. When a driver is able to excel in one area of their craft, they have an advantage over the competition that they can exploit.
Scott Dixon, for example, is a wizard when it comes to saving fuel. Will Power is the qualifying king with a clear track. Takuma Sato can make his car dance on water. Sometimes it is obvious, sometimes it is not.
When it comes to Conor Daly, his true talent may be difficult to see, even though it is in clear sight. Most drivers find one specific avenue in racing and hone in on that. Their tunnel vision may ultimately lead them to success, but it could also prevent them from having more. When Daly began his racing career, the road map did not include a dozen different types of motorsport, but that is where this journey has taken him.
The Noblesville native will attempt to make his 10th Indy 500 start in May, but his schedule will be quite busy even before then. The work has already begun. Daly will be testing his IndyCar at Sebring on Monday, then driving a Cup car on Wednesday as he prepares to race his way into the 65th Daytona 500. He will be one of six drivers battling for four spots in next Sunday’s Great American Race.
Conor will be driving the No. 50 Chevrolet for The Money Team, which is owned by boxing Hall of Famer Floyd Mayweather. The two first linked up last season when Conor made his Cup series debut with the team on the Charlotte Roval. Now, with bigger goals in mind, they will tackle multiple races together this season. This is all happening with support from BitNile, which sponsors his IndyCar program at Ed Carpenter Racing.
With 97 career IndyCar starts under his belt, that is where Daly calls home. Leading laps in the Indy 500 has become almost routine, guiding his fighter jet on wheels around the famed 2.5-mile oval at IMS. That is something his father, Derek Daly, was never able to do in his six starts at Indianapolis.
In order to join the elite list of drivers (61 total) that have competed in both the Indy 500 and Daytona 500, Daly will have to beat out some accomplished NASCAR talent. At the top of that list is seven-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson, whom he battled in IndyCar the last two years. The whole crossover topic is always a fascinating storyline, but it is nothing new to Conor.
Daly won the Skip Barber National Championship and was the Ontario Formula Ford 1600 Rookie of the Year. He also won the…
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