Full-time NTT IndyCar Series driver Conor Daly is preparing to attempt to qualify for his first Daytona 500 with The Money Team Racing.
While he’s competed in open-wheel cars for the majority of his career, Daly’s entrance to NASCAR’s most prestigious race has been a long time coming. As a lifelong fan of NASCAR, Daly’s eye has been drawn to Florida’s Daytona Int’l Speedway for years. After making his first Cup Series start at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway last October, the door to racing the Daytona 500 finally opened.
A November conversation with racing legend Travis Pastrana invigorated Daly to continue chasing his dream and on Feb. 7, Daly made it official with The Money Team Racing and primary sponsor, BitNile.com.
His No. 50 machine is one of six non-charter entries vying for four open spots on the grid. The other non-charter drivers are Pastrana, Jimmie Johnson, Chandler Smith, Austin Hill and Zane Smith.
Daly discussed his journey to The Great American Race with SPEED SPORT earlier this week.
Q: You’ve been on the IndyCar path for a long time, but you finally made your NASCAR debut last year. So what originally piqued your interest in going NASCAR racing?
DALY: Honestly, I’ve always been a guy that will drive anything, any time, any place. Travis Pastrana convinced me to race a boat, which I never wanted to do in my life. But I feel like usually, when saying yes to things, it ends up being more fun than you expect.
But I’ve also been a race fan since day one. My race fanhood started with IndyCar, NASCAR and Formula 1. If you look at all of my childhood possessions, they were all NASCAR diecast cars. So those and Indy cars were my go-to.
I’ve always loved the sport, but obviously, my career went open-wheel racing, which has been amazing. And I want to keep doing that for a long time. But, you know, we have this opportunity where IndyCar only has 17 races on the schedule. There’s a lot of off-time and there are a lot of open weekends.
For me, staying sharp, keeping the mind and body engaged in racing at the highest level always helps. I have never seen it to be a hindrance. I’m very, very lucky to get to do this.
Q: How was that race last year a step toward the Daytona 500? What opened the door? And when did you know for sure that this would happen?
DALY: Well, I think the team and the folks there — William Auchmoody and Tony Eury Jr. — they wanted to work with me again. It was a really good relationship. It seemed like they saw a lot of things that they tell me were the right things.
I also want to be better at anything that I do. I’d like to try to be the best that I can be at it. And obviously that takes time, that takes experience, that takes more races. We immediately talked about it with our sponsor BitNile.com. They’re using motorsports to expand their platform to expand their business. So, if they tell me to go race something, I’m going to go race something. That’s kind of how it’s worked.
It was a conversation that had started right after the Bank of America ROVAL 400. Travis Pastrana and I were having a conversation in November when we were doing the 24 Hours of LeMons race in Houston. And suddenly, I found out he was trying to do the Daytona 500. I was like, oh boy, that would be hysterical.
And then the talks died down, but then the team came back when Helio (Castroneves) decided that he wasn’t going to race the 500. I think he wanted to be with a slightly bigger operation, and we’re obviously only a one-car team.
We’ve got a big fight ahead of us. But for me, there’s a big upside to making it and not a lot of downside to not making it, because we know we’re already the biggest underdog there.
Q: This is a bucket-list race for a lot of drivers. Can you talk briefly about what it means to you to be in this position?
DALY: It means a lot to me as someone who appreciates all forms of motorsports. I like Formula 1. I love IndyCar — obviously it’s my heart and soul. But I love watching NASCAR racing, too.
For me to get to dabble a little bit in NASCAR is really meaningful, because I appreciate what it takes to get there.
I appreciate the other drivers in that series who I have watched for years, the talent level they have and the style of racing that it is. And to be able to say that I’m 31 years old, but I’m getting to do potentially the Daytona 500 and the Indy 500 in the same year. I mean, there’s not a lot of people on Earth who have ever been able to say that.
So that’s a pretty special thing to think about.
Q: How do you feel about your chances against drivers such as Travis Pastrana, Jimmie Johnson and the other non-charter drivers who are entered?
DALY: Well, it certainly makes it a little bit more interesting. I mean, I’ve been talking with Travis pretty much every day for the last couple of weeks. He’s obviously down in Florida, already slinging dirt and doing all kinds of crazy stuff. But that’s what happens when you’re a megastar.
But even Jimmie Johnson, he and I became quite good friends over the last couple of years in IndyCar. Even though it presents a small threat, it’s cool to see them enjoying the fact that I’m part of it.
In a perfect world, all three of us would make it, so I hope that will be the case. I would love to show up on race day with those guys. But we’ll see, it’ll be interesting. Single-car qualifying will be most important to see who actually makes it in on speed, which I have a feeling Jimmie will.
And then we’ll go from there.
Q: How much weight or expectation are you putting on this performance? Is it more of a fun thing? Is it very serious? What do you hope to get out of it?
DALY: Well, it’s super serious. No matter what, when you show up to this race, you want to give it everything you got. But it’s also with no practice and basically only having the Duel before the race. It’s just going to be about gaining experience for me.
We’re not going to go out there and be like, ‘Hey, if we don’t finish 10th, we hate everything.’ That’s just irresponsible. We want to get the most experience out of it. We want to get through the race, and for me to be able to display something that will allow me to come back next year, to have another chance at it when I have more experience.
You also never know what happens at that race. I mean, I’ve seen people that have never been shown on the TV broadcast at all who are in the top five at the end of the race, and you’re like, how in the world did that happen?
So there’s a lot of crazy stuff that can happen there.