Getty Conor Daly has his eyes set on another Cup Series start.
IndyCar Series driver Conor Daly made his NASCAR Cup Series debut in 2022. He remains focused on Indy, but he has plans to return to the top level of stock car racing for a Crown Jewel event.
Daly provided the information during “Dirty Mo Live” on November 16. He and Dirty Mo’s Mike Davis sat down to discuss a variety of topics, such as the recent podcast episode with former NASCAR CEO Brian France. Once Noah Gragson sat down with them, the conversation turned to Daly wanting to take on another challenge.
The Indiana native revealed that he wants to compete in the Daytona 500, the biggest event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule. He doesn’t know if this will happen in 2022 or the team that he will join to pursue a spot in the starting lineup, but he expects to compete with Jimmie Johnson for one of the open spots.
“Yes, put that on the list of things that I would like to do,” Daly said during the live broadcast. He continued and explained to Gragson that he has an interest “because it would be really cool.”
Daly’s NASCAR Cup Series Debut Was on a Road Course
GettyConor Daly made his Cup Series debut at the Charlotte Roval.
Daly entered the 2022 season with some limited experience in NASCAR. He made one Xfinity Series start in 2018 for Roush Fenway Racing. He then joined Niece Motorsports for one Truck Series race in 2020 and one in 2021.
Daly was able to make his Cup Series debut late in the 2022 season. He joined TMT Racing for the trip to the Charlotte Roval, and he became the second driver after Kaz Grala to control the No. 50 Chevrolet Camaro.
The race weekend did not play out as Daly hoped. He had steering issues during practice, which sent him into the wall. Daly also had to drop to the rear of the field for the start of the race with unapproved adjustments.
Once the race began, Daly began gaining experience in the Next Gen car. He was able to pass multiple drivers in the No. 50 Chevrolet Camaro, but he also fell multiple laps down after tire issues and a fire in the cockpit of the stock car. He ultimately finished 34th in the 39-car field.
Daly Received Some Advice From a NASCAR Champion
The Cup Series debut was not what Daly expected, but he later told Racer that he enjoyed the experience. He also said that his primary sponsor for the Roval race, BitNile, had expressed interest in him making more starts in NASCAR while pursuing wins in the IndyCar Series.
Will Daly make more starts in the Cup Series? If so, will one of them be in the Daytona 500? This information is not available at the moment. If he does get the opportunity to make more starts, he can look back at some advice he received from a seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion.
Daly revealed on an episode of his “Speed Street” podcast that he had received some helpful text messages from Jimmie Johnson ahead of the trip to the Charlotte Roval. Johnson pointed out some trouble areas on the track to watch out for. He also told Daly to “draw blood first” and rough up the other drivers.