Amid seeming IndyCar dead-end, Conor Daly follows Will Power into endurance racing

IndyCar veteran Conor Daly will be racing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the Indianapolis 8 Hour endurance race set to take place this weekend. Along with Daly, two-time IndyCar champion Will Power will be making his debut at the race. While Power left Penske and was able to join Andretti Global, Daly is seemingly vulnerable to an IndyCar dead-end.

Will Power exited Team Penske after 17 successful years and joined Andretti Global as Colton Herta's replacement soon after the season ended. Conor Daly on the other hand, signed a one-year deal with Juncos Hollinger Racing ahead of the 2025 season and faced sponsorship issues at the beginning of the season.

Conor Daly was among the suspected candidates for the Juncos Hollinger Racing seat for the 2026 season. However, Rinus VeeKay, who left Dale Coyne Racing after the 2025 season, was announced as JHR’s driver for the upcoming season and will partner with Sting Ray Robb.

Nevertheless, amid the uncertainty over his 2026 IndyCar future, Conor Daly has made the decision to race in the Indy 8 Hour endurance race at the IMS. Daly would partner with Connor De Phillippi and Kenton Koch behind the wheel of the No. 99 Random Vandals Racing BMW M4 GT3 EVO.

Daly took to Instagram and uploaded images of his ride for this weekend, the BMW M4 GT3 Evo, with a caption that read,

“Race week once again. Finally. Let's go @random_vandals_racing @cdephillippi @kentonkoch #indy8hr @indianapolismotorspeedway”

Conor Daly was a spotter for the Indy 8 Hour last year, and speaking about the same, he said,

“The funny thing is, I was a spotter at last year’s event. I got to see the Pirelli GT4 races and a lot of the Indy 8 Hour, which was really cool. I think it's awesome, anytime you get to go to IMS it's an amazing honor and a great privilege. To get to see this level of GT3 competition there is really exciting.” (via IndyCar's official website)

Will Power will make his Sportscar debut at the IMS and race the No.75, 75 Express Mercedes-AMG GT3 in the Pro-Am category with Kenny Habul and Chaz Mostert as his teammates.

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What's next for Conor Daly as the IndyCar seat fills up, leaving just two available drives

The IndyCar Silly season is in full flow with Will Power's move from Team Penske to Andretti Global triggering moves up and down the grid. David Malukas replaced the Australian at Team Penske, leaving a seat open at AJ Foyt Racing.

Rinus VeeKay's exit left a seat open at Dale Coyne Racing, which was filled in by Dennis Hauger. DCR’s 2025 driver, Jacob Abel, hasn't been confirmed by the team for the 2026 season. The same had left a seat available at AFR and DCR.

However, Romain Grosjean has been linked to the Dale Coyne Racing seat, and AJ Foyt Racing is the only realistic option available to Conor Daly.

Edited by Pranay Bhagi