IndyCar vs NASCAR: Indy Driver Conor Daly Pays Highest Respect to NASCAR

32-year-old Conor Daly will be competing alongside Kyle Larson in the 2024 Indy 500 later this month. With significantly more open-wheel racing experience, he will be behind the #24 Polkadot-sponsored car for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing. Though the majority of Daly’s racing has been in the IndyCar Series, he has made scattered appearances in NASCAR. And he has seen enough to try racing stock cars full-time.

In a recent conversation with Jeff Gluck, he was asked what he enjoyed more, NASCAR or IndyCar. The question came from Tyler Reddick who was the previous guest on the “12 Questions” series by Gluck. Daly responded by stating how it would be very exciting for him to drive in the Xfinity or Truck Series full-time though he loved IndyCar with all his heart.

“I think I can do it, first of all,” he said. “Now I’m not gonna claim I’m gonna get in there and win, but I would love to go through that learning process. That’s a very exciting thought to me.” What appears to have attracted Daly to NASCAR is the progress that the sport has made in regards to popularity and performance. He called the sport a “powerhouse” that he respects a lot.

He continued to express his wish to see the fanbases of NASCAR and IndyCar be integrated. “IndyCar has my heart with all of my soul, and I wish I could do more in this sport,” he concluded. “I have so much more I want to accomplish. But I also really would like to get a proper shot at getting into the NASCAR experience.” His best result in NASCAR so far is 18th place in a 2023 Truck Series race in Ohio.

Conor Daly’s biggest dream as a driver in the IndyCar Series

The one big dream that Daly has is to be an Indy 500 winner. He said to Gluck that a victory on May 26, when the 2024 race is set to happen, will solve every problem that he has in life. His words went, “An Indy 500 win. That solves probably all problems in life and maybe solves more problems outside of that. That’s why we show up this month. That’s why we’ve been putting in the work.”

Daly has qualified for the race in Row 10 with a four-lap speed average of 231.243 mph. Kyle Larson was the 6th fastest on the field with an average speed of 232.563 mph. Upcoming rounds of qualifying will determine where he starts the race.