Daly not returning to Coyne team (4th Update)

Daly to drive for Foyt in 2017

UPDATE This rumor is upgraded to 'fact' today as Daly will drive for AJ Foyt in 2017. Our 2017 IndyCar Silly Season page has been updated accordingly.

11/08/16 Conor Daly will be competing in an AJ Foyt Racing-Chevrolet next year, according to multiple Motorsport.com sources.

We understand the 24-year-old from Noblesville, Indiana, has not yet signed the deal but that an agreement has been reached and he will partner Carlos Munoz in a thoroughly revised AJ Foyt Racing team next year.

Daly admitted to Motorsport.com two weeks ago that a ride with the Texas-based team was the opportunity he was “pushing hardest for" and that he was in weekly contact with team owner AJ Foyt. His endeavors have now paid off, and so Daly will reunite with the team that gave him his IndyCar debut back in the 2013 Indianapolis 500.

Daly, who finished sixth and third in the GP3 championship in 2012 and ’13 respectively, focused his attention on IndyCar in 2015, and raced for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports for four races. Subbing for the injured James Hinchcliffe, he finished sixth in Detroit.

2016 marked Daly’s first full season in the series, and he took his Dale Coyne Racing-Honda to second in Detroit, and scored four other top-six finishes. He missed out on Rookie of the Year honors, however, as this was clinched by Indy 500 winner Alexander Rossi. motorsport.com

11/01/16 With Montoya staying with Penske and Sato rumored to be going to Andretti, this bodes well for Daly to get one of the AJ Foyt seats. Carlos Munoz is rumored to be his teammate. We think the well funded and very good RC Enerson will get the 2nd Coyne seat. We have updated our 2017 IndyCar Silly Season page

10/26/16

Daly also drove at Indy for Sam Schmidt in 2015

Conor Daly has backtracked slightly on his comments made at the USGP.

"Foyt is the team I'm pushing hardest for," Daly told motorsport.com, "because I have a great relationship with AJ – we speak almost every week – and with Larry too. But right now they're focused on finalizing their engine deal.

"But I've known most of those team guys since 2013. I think it would be a good fit, and it would make a lot of sense to have at least one American driving for one of the most red, white 'n' blue American teams out there."

Backtracking Daly said, "I still think there's a chance I could end up back with Dale.

"I'd like to be there, because we achieved good things together, working with Mike Cannon was great and I do like continuity. I'd say it was the best deal around but I don't have enough sponsorship for that yet.

"But definitely having Sebastien there would be a great help, to see the way he worked and be able to share data with someone who's got a lot of experience and a proven track record."

Daly talking to Max Verstappen in Austin Friday

10/21/16 When asked today at the USGP about his racing plans for 2017, Conor Daly said, "I'm just focusing on IndyCar."

"There's a couple teams with a lot of open seats. We're talking to everyone in the business.

"I would have loved to come back with Coyne (Dale Coyne Racing), but there seems to be some different stuff happening there.

"Either way, I love IndyCar, want to be in IndyCar, that's where my heart is. So whether it's Foyt, ECR (Ed Carpenter Racing), Andretti, you never know what's going to happen, so we'll see."

With that we believe RC Enerson, who is well funded, will race alongside Sebastien Bourdais at Dale Coyne Racing in 2017.

See updated 2017 IndyCar Silly Season page