DAYTONA BEACH, Fl — Noblesville's Conor Daly has started the Indianapolis 500 nine times in his career.
Last May he led laps in the race for the first time, finishing in 6th place. The start of the 2023 racing season saw the 31-year old Daly chasing another goal: making the field for the Daytona 500.
On Thursday night, Daly got a little bit of luck at the right time to qualify for NASCAR's showcase event.
Daly is driving for 'The Money Team Racing,' largely funded by champion boxer Floyd Mayweather. The #50 car struggled in qualifying last weekend, putting them in the back of the pack on Thursday night's second qualifying race at Daytona.
An early wreck caught up Austin Hill, the other 'open' entry in the mix, and with 15 laps to spare Daly earned his spot in Sunday's main event.
His 17th place finish on Thursday night will put Daly 34th in the Daytona 500 starting lineup, on the outside of Row 17.
The Daytona 500 is scheduled to start just after 2:30 p.m. on Sunday.
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