Seth Eggert, Deputy Editor
From a crash early in the race to a strong run inside the top 10 late in the race, Conor Daly had a great time finishing with the best result of his career in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
The fun started for Daly on the opening lap, when he was involved in a multi-car accident in Turn 3. His No. 26 Polka-Dot Toyota GR Supra sustained minor damage to the front left side of the car. Compared to many of his competitors, the NTT IndyCar Series veteran escaped relatively unscathed.

Despite the damage, Daly continued to lead the race for most of the Pennzoil 250. The Noblesville, Indiana, native ran inside the top 15 along with Shane Van Gisbergen for most of the 100-lap race. Late cautions and resulting pit strategies in both stages kept the Sam Hunt Racing car outside of the top 10 in both stages.
This was Daly’s first Xfinity race since last year’s Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL, but his first experience on an oval course, and he enjoyed attending the race just as much as he enjoyed watching the series.
“It was really fun,” Daly said. “The car was really fast. I had a really great time. I think I got in the way a little bit, but that was expected. But the racing was really fun and I really enjoyed racing Shane. He’s great to race against the other guys and it’s fun to be up front with those guys as I watch them every week. It’s a fun series to watch, but this Toyota was fast and it’s got quite a bit of character now.”
Daly worked his way up to the top 10 in the final stages while teaming up with van Gisbergen, and he was battling with Justin Allgaier when an incident on the backstretch brought out the final caution with 17 laps left in the race.
Daly’s crew chief, Chris Bowen, gambled by changing both tires during the ensuing caution. The difference in tire life caused the Toyota Racing driver’s car to tighten up. With fresher tires behind him on the restart, he was forced into a corner by Austin Hill and others on the final lap. When the checkered flag waved, Daly had fallen from seventh to 14th, his best career position in 10 starts in NASCAR’s three national touring series.
“When I was seventh I thought, ‘Oh man, I’m stuck behind about three guys,'” Daly recalled. “I thought I’d be better. If I’d been able to get past Allgaier I think I would have had more momentum in that stint. It was a bit of a gamble to change two tires at the end. It was my first time with a car with just two new tires and they were a lot tighter than I expected, so it was just a new experience.”
Though the cars are dramatically different, Daly believes his Indycar experience at Indianapolis Motor Speedway helped him: He came off the line at the same points common to the Indianapolis 500 and made several passes in Turn 1. But differences in racing style and aerodynamics forced Daly to catch cars at times.
“Honestly, I think my IndyCar experience helped me, but it’s still a completely different car and there were a lot of moments where I was literally caught off guard because I didn’t know,” Daly explained. “Like when Austin Hill came up to my rear left, it wasn’t just the air that moved me. I didn’t touch him at all. But sure enough, I nearly crashed, so it was just difficult.”
“The team did a great job and provided us with a great car. Maybe we finished a little too late, but I’m very grateful to Polkadot and Sam Hunt for letting me be a part of this program, and to Toyota for accepting me as part of their team.”