Photo Credit: Forrest Mellot/IndyCar
Conor Daly, driver of the No.18 Jonathan Byrd’s Hospitality Honda for Dale Coyne Racing, is coming into the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach looking for his first top-10 of the season. Despite the odds that are stacked against him with Honda struggling with their aerodynamic kits and racing for a smaller organization, this weekend could be the perfect opportunity.
He does have a little bit of experience on road and street courses. He raced at the Detroit Grand Prix at Belle Isle last year for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports and led 12 laps in that race.
In the 2016 season opener the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, Daly lead 15 laps due to the strategy of his crew chief. So this weekend if they have the right strategy, they might give him the chance to drive himself and Dale Coyne racing into a top-10. It’d be their first since last year in Detroit with Tristian Vautier behind the wheel where he finished fourth.
To help matters out, Daly has also won at Long Beach as he won in Indy Lights in 2011.
“I am really looking forward to this race weekend, much more so than Phoenix, just because I have a little bit of experience at Long Beach,” Daly said. “I’m very excited for the race. I love the place. I love the track. I love the fact we were quick at the end of the race last year, so we have a good place to start and it’s with the same team, so it will be really cool. I didn’t work with (engineer) Mike (Cannon) last year, but we were all there as a team and it’s such a great track and great weekend. I’m finally feeling like it’s a race I’m more prepared for. Even though it will be the same as St. Pete and a tough battle, I feel more prepared than any other race we’ve had this year.”
