Conor Daly has enjoyed a long career in auto racing from the USA to Europe and back. Although he’s jumped around to numerous teams in the Indy car paddock, you’ll usually find him running up front during the Indianapolis 500 (he led the most laps there in 2021). In this interview (taped during the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach weekend), we go into a deep dive of what it’s like to race at the “500,” the details about the preparation for what the car needs, and what Daly likes for his car set-up for qualifying and the race. It’s a fascinating look into some real insider information that most race fans don’t get a glimpse of. A bonus question at the end has Daly sharing what it’s like to race with Type 1 diabetes and how his new sponsor helps with that. Enjoy!

NOTE: Conor Daly hosts his own podcast called “Speed Street with Conor Daly” on YouTube and wherever podcasts are found. He does a really good job with these as they are also short form interviews and very timely with his guests and recent events.

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By Larry Mason

Copyright © 2025 Larry Mason

Conor Daly is a fan favorite at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and everywhere else he races on the NTT IndyCar Series schedule.

Giving a cheer back to the fans during the driver introductions at the 50^th Anniversary of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.

Just after his introduction to the fans, he shares a moment with co-grand marshals, Mario Andretti (M) and Al Unser Jr. (R) who both get a kick and some laughs about his edgy sponsor statement.

Preparing to enter his race car, Daly has his HANS device fastened to his helmet. Note his forced-air intake in front of his Bell sticker as well as his drink tube.

Rushing through the tight Turn 11 hairpin, Daly shows how close to get to the inside wall to open the radius of this tight turn as much as possible thus getting a good bit of top speed on the following long Shoreline Drive front straight.

A closer look at Daly in the hairpin shows his tinted and reflective visor needed especially when the sun comes out bright.

Interview and photos Copyright © by Larry Mason (unless otherwise noted)