It had been seven years of hard work without much of a return for their efforts down at Juncos Hollinger Racing.
Conor Daly was also in a similar boat, having stepped onto the podium for the first time and last time in his career until this weekend’s Milwaukee Mile with Dale Coyne Racing back in 2016.
But that run came to an end in spectacular fashion during race one of IndyCar‘s return to Milwaukee, a track which played host to plenty of action.
To double down on Juncos Hollinger‘s terrific weekend, Romain Grosjean also scored a top 10 finish in race two – but the event will be remembered for a special third-place finish from Daly.
Footage shows Daly flying through the field
Not many would have predicted that Daly was capable of even getting near the top five before Saturday’s race.
Starting right at the back of the grid in 25th place, he stood little chance of surviving the chaos – but that’s exactly what he used his experience perfectly to navigate.
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He has only completed four IndyCar seasons across 11 years since making his debut, but plenty of running time on ovals helped him at Milwaukee.
Seen as a bit of an oval ‘specialist’, he scythed through the pack with ease, and managed to finish just two seconds from what would have been a classic win.
It wasn’t quite to be for Daly, but footage on X (formerly known as Twitter), showed just how sensational his race was from a driving perspective.
What comes next for Daly?
Daly is yet to confirm his plans for the 2025 season, although it’s unlikely that he will returning in any sort of full-time capacity.
He has a good relationship with team boss Ricardo Juncos, and the two go way back, so the podium will only have helped his chances of winning him over even more in the hope of a 2025 drive.
Juncos Hollinger are yet to confirm either of their drivers, although they have offered Grosjean a deal to return to the team, but he is still assessing his options with other outfits interested too.
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Grosjean and Daly appear to work well together, and their experience has clearly helped the Argentine-American outfit carve more consistency and performances from their car.
But with a plethora of attractive free agents and young drivers coming through the ranks, it may be difficult to resist the opportunity of signing one of IndyCar’s next stars.