Rahal IndyCar team jettisons Harvey, hires Daly for Gateway

Daly will drive for his third IndyCar team of the season, having lost his full-time 2023 ride at Ed Carpenter Racing to Ryan Hunter-Reay after Detroit. He then subbed twice for the sidelined Simon Pagenaud at Meyer Shank Racing at Mid-Ohio and Iowa.

Harvey joined RLL from Shank in 2022 and lies 22nd in the drivers’ championship, which is where he finished in points last season.

He was expected to move elsewhere in 2024, but team owner Bobby Rahal has decided to make the change now to “gauge other racing talent” in the final three events on the schedule.

“First, I would like to thank Jack Harvey for all of his efforts on behalf of RLL for the last year and a half,” said Rahal. “He committed fully to the team but for whatever reason, we weren’t able to achieve the results that he or the team deserves and we wish him well in the future.

“We will use the final three races of the season to gauge other racing talent. I’m very pleased that Conor has agreed to join us in St. Louis.

“He’s been strong there and I feel that he can bring value to the team while also providing us with a strong effort. I look forward to having him with us.”

Jack Harvey, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda

Photo by: Gavin Baker / Motorsport Images

The driver for its #30 entry for races at Portland and Laguna Seca will be announced at a later date.

Harvey said of his release: “It's no secret that my time at RLL didn't go as planned. It was not through a lack of effort. I leave confident that I put my everything into every moment as a member of the team.

“I am thankful for the time and effort that every crew member put in over the last two years. This has been challenging for everyone involved. I love my crew and their unwavering support.

“Only time will tell what the future holds. I am more motivated than ever to find a new home in IndyCar to showcase what I am capable of doing behind the wheel of a race car.

“We are not defined by our failures but rather how we respond to them.”

Conor Daly, Meyer Shank Racing Honda

Photo by: Michael L. Levitt / Motorsport Images

Series veteran Daly has made 107 IndyCar starts since his debut in 2013. He has competed in six of the last seven Gateway races and earned four top 10 finishes at the 1.25-mile oval, with his best being fifth in 2017.

“It means a lot to have a chance to drive for the Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing team,” he said. “I’ve known Bobby ever since I was a child, our families are very close.

“Mike Lanigan is someone that has known my dad for a long time, and I’ve known him well too. And David Letterman is a friend of our family as well so it’s very special to have the chance to drive for this organisation.

“I will obviously do the best job that I can for them to make them proud and make their partners proud and I hope to be able to deliver everything they are looking for. I’m excited for the chance to get back behind the wheel at one of my favourite tracks at World Wide Technology Raceway.”