Harding Racing has named Conor Daly to drive the No. 88 Harding Group Chevrolet this week at the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio, the second straight race for Daly in the Verizon IndyCar Series entry.
In his debut with the team, Daly finished 13th in the Honda Indy Toronto on July 15. Gabby Chaves drove the car in the first 11 races of the season and is under contract through 2019. Team officials previously stated that they would be trying out several drivers the rest of 2018 in hopes of expanding to two full-time entries next season.
Daly and Chaves shared the car during a July 17 test at Mid-Ohio.
“After the progress made during the Toronto race weekend, we had another successful outing in Mid-Ohio with Conor Daly," said Brian Barnhart, Harding Racing president. "Based on that and in the interest of continuity and moving forward, we are going to run Conor again this weekend for the Honda Indy 200.
“We still appreciate Gabby’s cooperation and interaction because he is still very much involved with downloads, team debriefs and dialogue. In our search for more information and improvement, this will be our direction for Mid-Ohio, with an eye towards the future.”
Daly has top-10 finishes at Mid-Ohio in both years he has competed at the Honda Indy 200.
“I’m obviously excited about another chance to work with the Harding Racing team at Mid-Ohio since we were able to test there just last week,” Daly said. “Every lap I do in the car, I learn more and we make progress as a team on the technical side. I can’t wait to get back out there and give it all I’ve got for these guys, as they are an incredibly hard-working group of people.”
Fifth Third Bank primary sponsor for Rahal at Mid-Ohio race
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing announced that Fifth Third Bank will be the primary sponsor of Graham Rahal’s No. 15 Honda for the Honda Indy 200 race weekend. It is the home race for Rahal, who grew up in nearby New Albany, Ohio, and the home race for RLL, which has a race shop in Hilliard, Ohio.
“We are very excited about our partnership with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing," said Francie Henry, Fifth Third Bank president of the Central Ohio Region. "We’re looking forward to seeing Ohio native Graham Rahal behind the wheel of the Fifth Third Bank No. 15 car at the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio.”
Rahal calls his 2015 win at Mid-Ohio the most important accomplishment to date in his Indy car career. Rahal has earned four consecutive top-five finishes at Mid-Ohio dating to 2014, including a third-place finish a year ago.
“Since 2016, we have had a great relationship with Fifth Third Bank and are excited to have them as the primary sponsor on Graham’s entry for our home race at Mid-Ohio,” said Bobby Rahal, co-owner of RLL with talk-show icon David Letterman and Mi-Jack co-owner Mike Lanigan. “The support they have shown the team as well as the communities they are involved in has been impressive. We are looking forward to returning home to Mid-Ohio and hope to put on a great show for the fans and Fifth Third Bank guests.”
Tickets on sale inaugural dirt-track race at IMS
Tickets are available now for the Driven2SaveLives BC39 presented by NOS Energy Drink, the inaugural event at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s new dirt track that honors the memory of short-track star and three-time Indianapolis 500 starter Bryan Clauson.
The United States Auto Club P1 Insurance Midget National Championship event will take place Wednesday, Sept. 5 and Thursday, Sept. 6 on the new quarter-mile clay oval located inside Turn 3 of the famous IMS asphalt oval. The event is geared to increase awareness for the Indiana Donor Network and its Driven2SaveLives campaign.
The 39-lap feature event will be the richest in Midget racing, with more than $70,000 in purse and incentives, including a $15,000 winner’s purse.
For practice and heat races on Sept. 5, the temporary infield grandstand at the dirt track will be available for general admission seating, with prices starting at $25 and increasing Aug. 1. Children 15 and under will be admitted for free Sept. 5 when accompanied by an adult ticket holder.
For qualifying and the BC39 feature race on Sept. 6, the temporary infield grandstand adjacent to the dirt track will be sold as reserved seats, with prices ranging from $35-$55 until July 31. Prices will increase Aug. 1.
Due to anticipated demand, the Northeast Vista grandstands outside Turn 3 of the IMS asphalt oval also will be available Sept. 6 for general admission seating, starting at $20 and increasing to $25 on race day. Children 15 and under will be admitted for free to the general admission area when accompanied by an adult ticket holder. Northeast Vista ticket holders will not have access to the IMS infield and will not be eligible to purchase a Pit Pass.
Fans can get even closer to the action by purchasing a pit pass for one or both days. Pit passes start at $20 per day, increasing to $25 per day at the gate. Pit Pass holders also must have a general admission or reserved seat ticket.
Visit www.ims.com/bc39 for more information.
Winning car from 100th Indianapolis 500 up for auction
You can purchase the winning car from one of the most iconic races in motorsports history, when Alexander Rossi’s No. 98 NAPA AUTO PARTS Honda from the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil goes up for auction next month in Monterey, California.
The car will be a centerpiece of the Mecum Auctions event Aug. 23-25 at the Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel and Spa on Del Monte Golf Course.
The Dallara IR-12 chassis, No. 037, comes with the Honda superspeedway aero kit that Rossi drove to victory in the 2016 Indy 500 as a rookie. The actual Honda twin-turbo, V-6 engine that was in the car that day will be delivered to the winning bidder sometime in 2020 to complete the package.
The chassis also was driven in previous seasons by Alex Tagliani, Jack Hawksworth and Gabby Chaves with Bryan Herta Autosport before team owner Herta joined forces with Michael Andretti to form Andretti Herta Autosport with Curb-Agajanian and campaign Rossi in the 2016 season.
To see the car’s listing on the Mecum website, click here. NBCSN has exclusive television coverage of the Monterey auction.
