IndyCar team hoping for '$1 million move' with late driver change

Juncos Hollinger Racing recently parted ways with Agustin Canapino after 12 of the 17 races on the 2024 IndyCar schedule, a move that came as little surprise to those who have followed some of the social media controversy surrounding Canapino and his Argentinian fanbase since his arrival to the American open-wheel racing series last year.

But aside from the online controversy, Canapino's performance, specifically his deficit to teammate Romain Grosjean and his overall lack of progress from his rookie season, put Juncos Hollinger Racing in a bind with five races remaining in the regular season.

The No. 78 team is without a top 10 finish in a points race, and it sits in 25th place in the entrant standings. It sits in 23rd among Leaders' Circle eligible entries, and only the top 22 are slated to receive $1 million payouts from IndyCar at the end of the season.

After Meyer Shank Racing managed to elevate the No. 66 team all the way up to 19th place by replacing the struggling Tom Blomqvist with David Malukas, who recently placed sixth on the streets of Toronto to build up a considerable 28-point margin over the top 22 cutoff, Juncos Hollinger Racing are hoping for similar success.

The team have confirmed that Conor Daly is set to pilot the No. 78 Chevrolet for the remainder of the 2024 season, beginning with this Saturday night's race at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway.

Conor Daly joins Juncos Hollinger Racing

Juncos Hollinger Racing is set to become Daly's 11th different team since his IndyCar career began in 2013.

The 2024 season's final five races are set to consist of four oval events, including this weekend's Gateway race, the doubleheader at the Milwaukee Mile, and Nashville Superspeedway.

Daly has specialized in short oval races over the last few seasons, and though he has never competed in any IndyCar races at Milwaukee or Nashville, Gateway has been arguably his best race track, and he has had success with multiple organizations. He placed fifth in 2017 with A.J. Foyt Enterprises and added three more top 10 finishes at the track with Carlin in 2019 and 2020.

As things stand, the No. 78 team only sits five points behind the No. 41 A.J. Foyt Enterprises team for the 22nd and final eligible spot for a Leaders' Circle payout. The No. 20 Ed Carpenter Racing team sits just two points ahead of the No. 41 team. Daly has competed for both Foyt and Carpenter during his IndyCar career.

Given the relatively low average points per race totals carried by each of these teams through the season's first 12 races and the ultra-tight margins, one (or multiple) above average results from Daly over the course of the next few weeks could go a long way toward positioning Juncos Hollinger Racing for that additional $1 million.

Saturday night's Bommarito Automotive Group 500 is set to be broadcast live on USA Network from World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway beginning at 6:00 p.m. ET. Start a free trial of FuboTV now and don't miss it!