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IndyCar: Conor Daly to drive for Harding Racing in Toronto

By Asher Fair

FORT WORTH, TX - JUNE 09: Conor Daly, driver of the #4 ABC Supply AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet (Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images)
FORT WORTH, TX - JUNE 09: Conor Daly, driver of the #4 ABC Supply AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet (Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images) /
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Conor Daly is set to make his second start of the 2018 IndyCar season, as he is set to replace Gabby Chaves at Harding Racing in the Honda Indy Toronto.

Conor Daly is set to replace Gabby Chaves as the driver of the #88 Harding Racing Chevrolet in this Sunday’s Honda Indy Toronto, which is the 12th race of the 17-race 2018 IndyCar season. Daly has competed in just one race this season, with that one race being the Indianapolis 500.

Daly, 26, drove the #17 Dale Coyne Racing Honda in this year’s Indy 500 and finished in 21st place after starting in 33rd. This season is the first season since the 2015 season during which he has not had a full-time IndyCar ride, as he drove the #18 Dale Coyne Racing Honda full-time in the 2016 season before driving the #4 A.J. Foyt Enterprises Chevrolet full-time last year.

While Daly is set to replace Chaves this weekend in the 85-lap race around the 11-turn, 1.786-mile (2.874-kilometer) temporary street circuit at Exhibition Place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Chaves is still employed by the team and there is nothing that would suggest that he would be released by the team before this season ends or even before next season starts.

Here is what Harding Racing team president Brian Barnhart had to say about Daly replacing Chaves in this weekend’s Honda Indy Toronto and about the team’s future, according to Motorsport.

"“At this point, we are focusing all our attention on the 2019 season. If we can expand to a two-car team, all remaining races and testing will offer driver evaluation opportunities to determine who will become Gabby’s teammate in 2019. Gabby is still fully employed and still under contract with Harding for the remainder of this year and in 2019.”"

Chaves, 25, is coming off of his first DNF of the 2018 season in the Iowa Corn 300, as he was forced to retire with handling issues. That DNF was just the second DNF in his IndyCar career, which is impressive seeing as how he has driven in 37 races. He has never crashed out of a race in his career, which is even more impressive. His only other DNF came as a result of an engine failure in the race at Pocono Raceway in the 2015 season.

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Chaves currently sits in 18th place in the championship standings with top finishes of 14th so far this season. He recorded those 14th place finishes in the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg and in the Indy 500.

The Colombian has four career top 10 finishes, including a career-high fifth place finish in last year’s race at Texas Motor Speedway. His career-high finish in the standings is 15th place, which is where he finished in the 2015 season.

Daly has driven in 40 races in his IndyCar career, and he has racked up 10 top 10 finishes and three top five finishes. He recorded a career-high second place finish in the first race of the Dual in Detroit in the 2016 season, and he has finished as high as 18th in the championship standings in his career. He finished in 18th in both the 2016 season and the 2017 season.

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NBC Sports Network is set to broadcast the Honda Indy Toronto live on Sunday, July 15 at 3:00 p.m. ET from the streets of Exhibition Place. Be sure to tune in at that time to watch Conor Daly make his second start of the 2018 IndyCar season and the 41st start of his IndyCar career.