IndyCar veteran Conor Daly will drive the No. 78 automotive for Juncos Hollinger Racing for the rest of the season, starting with this weekend’s race at World Vast Expertise Raceway close to St. Louis, the crew introduced Wednesday.
Daly is taking on for Agustin Canapino, who parted methods with the crew final week after a collection of social media firestorms.
“I’m extraordinarily happy to reunite with [team co-owner] Ricardo Juncos after our success collectively within the Street to Indy,” Daly stated, referring to the IndyCar feeder system. “Ricardo took an opportunity on me once I was younger and it made an enormous distinction in my profession. There are lots of people on this crew that I’ve labored with earlier than and that provides me quite a lot of confidence.”
Canapino stepped away from Juncos Hollinger Racing in June earlier than a race at Street America after disputing claims that rival driver Théo Pourchaire of Arrow McLaren Racing had obtained on-line dying threats from Canapino’s followers following an on-track incident between the 2. Arrow McLaren wound up severing its technical and advertising relationship with the crew.
One other driver, former Juncos Hollinger teammate Callum Ilott, has stated Canapino’s passionate fan base had made threatening feedback final season. Ilott stated he felt he by no means obtained assist from the crew and was launched on the finish of final season.
In the meantime, Canapino’s efficiency additionally had been on a downward spiral. A string of 5 consecutive finishes of 18th or worse had dropped him to twenty third within the standings, and at risk of falling out of the highest 22 of the $1 million Leaders Circle.
Daly will probably be driving for his third crew this season. He drove from twenty ninth to tenth within the Indianapolis 500 in an entry for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, and he changed the injured Jack Harvey for Dale Coyne Racing for a race at Iowa in July.
Daly will work with Juncos Hollinger teammate Romain Grosjean for the rest of the season.
“Having Conor Daly again in a JHR automotive after a few years is sort of a flashback to some nice recollections,” Juncos stated. “We achieved loads collectively. Now it is time to deal with what’s forward and purpose for robust outcomes for the remainder of the NTT IndyCar Sequence season.”