Conor Daly has impressed just about everyone since filling in for Augustin Canapino at Juncos Hollinger Racing for the remainder of the 2024 season.
A third-place finish at race one of the Milwaukee Mile helped his Agrentine-American team claim their maiden podium in IndyCar after seven years.
The result thrusted them into the top 22 of the leaders circle – which could earn them an extra $1 million in prize money if they can hold on at the final race in Nashville.
It may even have put Daly in the frame for a full-time seat, which was an almost unthinkable possibility just a few weeks ago.
Conor Daly hints at ‘future plans’ after IndyCar success
Seen as a bit of an oval specialist, Daly hasn’t spent too much of his career as a full-time driver in IndyCar.
He does bring plenty of experience however, and could warrant a call from team owners exploring options that they can be sure will keep the damage bill low and the result levels high.
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“I’d love to think so,” he told Motorsport.com. “In the end, the finances are very difficult to make happen in this world. But I feel like I have a lot that I still want to do in [it]. The last couple years have been obviously really difficult for me, in the situation that I was in.
“I know I can run at the front with these guys. The car gave me the opportunity to do that. I can only do what the car will allow me to do. They gave me that chance. We made the right moves when we needed to.
“But yeah, what the future holds, I have no idea. Thankfully I got next week planned and the weekend after that. After that, we’re kind of just back to the drawing board.”
What does the 2025 driver market look like?
Juncos Hollinger Racing are yet to decide who either of their drivers will be in 2025, with a few months to pick the best of the bunch for their line-up.
Romain Grosjean has been offered a deal to race with them, but is assessing options with other teams after his first year with them.
Daly is a surprise option, having fallen off the grid in 2023 and spent a year away, before coming back to claim his second IndyCar podium, and a first in eight years at Milwaukee.
There’s also plenty of young talent without a contract for next season, including Chip Ganassi’s Marcus Armstrong or Indy NXT champion Louis Foster.
It’s no secret that Daly works well with, and has a good relationship with team owner Ricardo Juncos, but as he mentioned, money is a factor and the sponsorship another driver could offer, could well see him forced out of the team.