Daly to run for SPM in Indy 500 (Update)

Derek Daly with son Conor

Lucille Dust/AR1.com

UPDATE Schmidt Peterson Motorsports (SPM) announced today that American driver Conor Daly will pilot the team's third entry for the 99th running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race on Sunday, May 24.

Daly, a 23-year-old, Noblesville, Indiana native, will drive the No. 43 Honda-powered Dallara for his second start in the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.

"I am ecstatic to partner with Schmidt Peterson Motorsport for the 99th running of the Indianapolis 500. I have had a great relationship with Sam Schmidt since driving for him in Indy Lights and I've always wanted a shot with his Verizon IndyCar Series team. It's an honor to make my second attempt at running the Indy 500.

"I can't thank everyone enough who have put in the hours to pull this program together. I am confident we will all benefit from this relationship going forward and I can't wait to get to work on track!"

SPM team owner Sam Schmidt commented, "Conor raced for our team in Indy Lights in 2011for a partial season before heading off to Europe, so we know what he is capable of. He deserves to be competing in the IndyCar Series full time and we're honored to be providing this opportunity."

Sponsorship and livery for Daly's No. 43 entry will be unveiled in the upcoming weeks. Practice for the 99th running of the Indianapolis 500 begins on Monday, May 11.

04/25/15

Conor Daly

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Conor Daly has been seeking — no, striving for — such an opportunity since May 2013, when the Noblesville, Ind., native made his Verizon IndyCar Series debut for AJ Foyt Racing in the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race.

In a few short days, Daly will be driving the No. 43 Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda on the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval, the team announced at Barber Motorsports Park. The 99th 500 Mile Race is May 24.

"I am ecstatic to partner with Schmidt Peterson Motorsport for the 99th Running of the Indianapolis 500," said Daly, 23, who made his second series start in the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Bach on April 19. "I have had a great relationship with Sam Schmidt since driving for him in Indy Lights and I've always wanted a shot with his Verizon IndyCar Series team. It's an honor to make my second attempt at running the Indy 500.

Full-season drivers James Hinchcliffe and James Jakes will be Daly's teammates. A Promoter Test — the first on-track activity with the new Chevrolet and Honda speedway aerodynamic bodywork packages — is scheduled for May 3. Practice opens May 11.

"Conor raced for our team in Indy Lights in 2011for a partial season before heading off to Europe (to contest the GP2 Series), so we know what he is capable of. He deserves to be competing in the IndyCar Series full time and we're honored to be providing this opportunity," team co-owner Sam Schmidt said.

Daly advanced nine positions relative to his starting spot to finish 22nd in the 2013 race, two laps down, in the No. 41 ABC Supply Co. Honda for the Foyt team.

At Long Beach, Daly was a late substitution for the injured rocky Moran Jr. in the No. 18 Dale Coyne Racing Honda. He qualified 21st in his first outing with the Honda road/street and short oval aero platform and advanced a field-high four positions in the 90-lap race on the 1.968-mile, 11-turn street circuit.

He is driving the "Fastest Seat in Sports" two-seat IndyCar, which leads the field to the green flag, in the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama on April 26.

Dave Lewandowski
INDYCAR.com