IndyCar: Conor Daly could drive in NASCAR Xfinity Series

Just one full-time ride remains open for the 2018 IndyCar season. If Conor Daly doesn’t get it, he is open to racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

Conor Daly, 26, got his first full-time IndyCar ride in the 2016 season as Dale Coyne Racing’s lone full-time driver in the #18 Honda. He drove in one race for the team in 2015 at Long Beach, and he had five other starts to his name before landing that ride.

Four of those five starts came driving for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports in the 2015 season and the other one came driving for A.J. Foyt Enterprises in the 2013 Indianapolis 500 when he made his IndyCar debut.

After being replaced by Sebastian Bourdais in Bourdais’ return to Dale Coyne Racing in the 2017 season for the first time since the 2011 season, Daly went to A.J. Foyt Enterprises to replace Jack Hawksworth as the driver of the #4 Chevrolet, although Hawksworth technically drove the #41 Honda.

More from IndyCar

However, the team did not have much speed throughout the season, and Daly’s results suffered because of it. He finished in the top 10 just four times in 17 races and recorded a top finish of 5th place at Gateway. He finished in 18th place, which was last, among full-time drivers in the championship standings.

After the conclusion of the 2017 season, A.J. Foyt Enterprises announced that they would be giving their driver lineup a complete overhaul for the second straight season. Tony Kanaan is set to replace Carlos Munoz in the #14 Chevrolet, and rookie Matheus Leist is set to replace Daly in the #4 Chevrolet.

Only one full-time ride remains open at this point as we approach the start of the 2018 IndyCar season. That ride is the #19 Honda at Dale Coyne Racing, which was driven by Ed Jones last season. Jones is set to replace Tony Kanaan in the #10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda in 2018.

According to NBC Sports, Daly had potential sponsorship for that ride fall through.

"“But as usual when people have money and they get asked to put it up for grabs they disappear. That’s happened many times before. We’ll try to find the answer to the price tag.”"

If he ends up unable to land that ride, Daly may be interested in driving in one of the road course races in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

"“I’d love to try and do NASCAR stuff. I’ve been trying to talk to Xfinity Series teams about their road course races. I think that would be very entertaining. I think it would be a great idea. I obviously love my IndyCar family, but if there’s no possibilities there and there seems to be some chances to be had in the NASCAR world, then I’m certainly going to take it, because I want to drive anything that I can.”"

The Xfinity Series races at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on Saturday, August 4th, Road America on Saturday, August 11th and Watkins Glen on Saturday, August 25th.

Next: 5 reasons destroying Walt Disney World Speedway was a mistake

Will we see Conor Daly back in IndyCar in the 2018 season driving for Dale Coyne Racing for the second time in three seasons? If not, will we see him make at least one appearance in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in August? The IndyCar season begins in just over two months with the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on Sunday, March 11th.