Written by Archie O’Reilly, Edited by Vyas Ponnuri
Rahal Letterman Lanigan (RLL) have confirmed that Jack Harvey has been replaced by Conor Daly for the upcoming Bommarito Automotive Group 500 - the final oval race of the IndyCar season. The drivers of the No.30 entry for the final two rounds of the season at Portland and Laguna Seca will be announced in due course.
Harvey is currently 22nd in the championship, but his No.30 entry is just outside the Leaders’ Circle, which secures crucial funding for the team. RLL will likely feel a change could help them maximise the potential of the car, in order to gain Leaders’ Circle funding.
The RLL team have been one of the strongest outfits on road courses this year, with some standout street course displays too. They have bounced back from all three cars having to contend with Bump Day for the Indy 500, when Harvey bumped teammate Graham Rahal out of the race, with a last-gasp attempt.
However, while both teammates have picked up pole positions, Christian Lundgaard a win, and Graham Rahal a second-place, Harvey’s best finish has been 14th-place. He has only managed one top 10 finish across two years with the team - en-route to finishing 22nd in last year’s championship.
Harvey’s form is a marked downturn, a visible sign during his time at Meyer Shank Racing, when he finished 12th in the championship in 2021. It is uncertain what the future will hold for the British driver, who admitted: “It’s no secret that my time at Rahal Letterman Lanigan didn’t go as planned.”
Harvey’s replacement for the next round at World Wide Technology Raceway, Daly, is a veteran of the series, having competed in 107 races. He is regarded by many as an oval specialist, taking pole at Iowa in 2020, and even leading his esteemed home event, the Indianapolis 500. He has earned four top 10 finishes at WWTR, formerly known as Gateway.
Daly has described Gateway as “one of my favourite tracks” and said he is “excited to get back behind the wheel”.
The 31-year-old controversially lost his seat at Ed Carpenter Racing earlier this season, as the team looked to turn around dwindling performance levels, but he has since deputised for Simon Pagenaud at MSR - both at Mid-Ohio and the Iowa doubleheader. He recently competed in NASCAR Xfinity and Truck Series races too.