Conor Daly is racing a full IndyCar season with the same team for the first time since 2017, and it is already providing him with a much-needed confidence boost.
Returning to Ed Carpenter Racing for the third consecutive season already did a lot to ease the mind of the 30-year-old that has bounced around teams his entire career, but having the full season secured was equally valuable.
Instead of switching to another team when the series visited an oval, Daly is now able to remain with the same crew and car he has for the road courses.
That consistency has immediately translated into confidence for both him and the team after three races of the season, even if the results aren’t quite there yet.
“We’re much more confident than people probably expect us to be,” said Daly in an interview with Motorsport Week. “It’s nice to be with one group and be able to plan ahead.
“Especially with spotters for the Indy 500 and rest of the ovals, we have some spotter continuity there as well which is nice.
“We obviously haven’t gotten the results we want yet, but neither have a lot of people. There’s a lot of really good drivers who have had tough starts. But we set the fast lap of the race in St. Pete and we knew we were fast in Texas. We just had some technical glitches happen there.
“I’m totally fine with where we’re at. At some point you keep having to think that we will execute everything, but we haven’t had that opportunity yet.”
Daly was able to secure sponsorship from BitNile for this season, which is the reason he was able to sign a full time contract in the first place.
His results have steadily improved so far this season, and hopes to keep moving forward as the consistency begins to pay off.
