Conor Daly - TSport 200 Race Preview
Race: TSport 200 (200 laps / 137.2 miles) | Race 15 of 23
Track: Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park
Location: Brownsburg, Indiana
Date & Time: Friday, July 19th | 8:30 PM ET
Tune-In: FOX Sports 1 | Motor Racing Network (MRN) | Sirius XM Ch. 90
No. 44 Power Plus Chevrolet Silverado RST
Driver: Conor Daly | Crew Chief: Wally Rogers
- Daly Returns: As announced last week, NTT INDYCAR SERIES veteran Conor Daly returns to Niece Motorsports for three NCTS races this year. Daly, a local 'hometown hero' from Noblesville, IN, will make his first start of the season on Friday at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park. In three prior Truck Series starts with the team, Daly's best finish is 18th, recorded twice (Las Vegas, 2020 & Mid-Ohio, 2023).
- Daly's IRP Stats: It's been over a decade since Daly last visited IRP, but his lone start at the track proved to be a memorable one. Competing in what was then known as the Star Mazda Championship (now the Indy Pro 2000 Series), Daly picked up the victory in his championship-winning season. The vehicles are about as far from similar as you can get (approximately over 2300 pounds in weight difference alone), but there aren't many entered in the Truck Series field that can say they're a past winner at this track.
- Rogers' IRP Stats: Wally Rogers has made several starts at IRP in both the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series and the Xfinity Series. In four NCTS starts atop the pit box, Rogers scored two top-10 finishes including a best showing of third in 2005 with Ron Hornaday. Hornaday would also be the driver to give Rogers his best NXS result at the track two years later, when he finished fifth. Last year, with Lawless Alan as his driver, Rogers' team finished 23rd in the truck race.
- On the Truck: Daly's No. 44 Chevrolet Silverado RST will race with support from Power Plus. The company is a nationwide provider of specialty electrical and power related services including generator service, maintenance & installation, temporary power, designed video surveillance and generator rental/disaster response services.
- New Entry: Friday's TSport 200 at IRP will be the first sighting of Niece Motorsports' No. 44 Chevrolet entry this year. The part-time truck will later be driven by Daly at Kansas Speedway and Homestead-Miami Speedway.
- "Daly Double": In addition to running the Truck Series race at IRP, Conor Daly will also compete in the Xfinity Series event at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with Sam Hunt Racing. Following the conclusion of NXS practice on Friday, Daly will make his way across town, where he'll be at IRP for the rest of the day. It's a good thing he knows the roads around here!
- Anything with Wheels: By the end of the weekend, Daly will have driven four different types of cars and tracks in the span of six days, showcasing how diverse his racing background is. Last Sunday, he was called upon to compete in the INDYCAR race at Iowa Speedway on late notice. On Thursday, he will test a GT3 car at Virginia International Raceway before he heads to Indianapolis to run in the Truck/Xfinity Series races.
- Quoting Daly: This will be your first truck start on a short track, so what will be the biggest hurdle for you to get used to before Friday night?
“Thankfully, it’s a track that I have driven on before and won on. It’s been a while, but this experience in a heavy stock car on a short track will certainly be something that I’ll be learning every lap, every stint, and every stage. I’m going to learn as much as I can to be able to use it towards the end of the race. I’ve also tried to talk to Ross Chastain. He’s very experienced, so I have a really good teammate to learn from. I just have to take advantage of that and be as quick as I can be at the end of the race.”
- Quoting Rogers: With the aggressive nature of the short tracks, what will be some of the most important factors to focus on this week?
“Really, we just need to make sure we have something for the end. I’m hoping my experience at IRP will help Conor since he has little to no experience at this track. If we can just keep ourselves in a decent spot and not make any mistakes or get involved with anything early on, that should help put us in a good position to get a good finish at the end of the race.”
About Niece Motorsports: Niece Motorsports is owned by United States Marine Corps Veteran Al Niece. In 2024, Niece Motorsports enters its ninth season in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Niece also owns Niece Equipment, which has for over 40 years provided clients with reliable products at competitive prices. Niece Equipment’s reputation is built on service, integrity and dependability. The company provides water and fuel/lube trucks that are engineered with quality and durability in mind for the construction and mining industry. Follow the team on Facebook and Instagram @NieceMotorsports as well as X @NieceMotorsport.
About Power Plus: Power Plus is a nationwide provider of specialty electrical and power related services including Generator Service, Maintenance & Installation, Temporary Power, Designed Video Surveillance and Generator Rental/Disaster Response services. At Power Plus, we are “Always On”, operating 24 hours per day, 365 days per year, and are ready to deliver the “Power, When You Need It, Where You Need It”.
