Conor Daly reaches dead end in Dale Coyne Racing talks; Full-time 2026 IndyCar options disappear

Conor Daly has shared that he is no longer in contention for the final full-time 2026 IndyCar seat at Dale Coyne Racing. The IndyCar veteran was reportedly one of three drivers linked to the vacant DCR seat, alongside Romain Grosjean and Linus Lundqvist.

Daly lost his full-time seat at Juncos Hollinger Racing after his one-year contract for the 2025 season ended. Despite his supreme oval performance, the Argentinian-American team replaced him with Rinus Veekay, who emerged as a hot pick in the driver market after an impressive season with Dale Coyne Racing, including a podium at the Indy Toronto.

Conor Daly temporarily remained in contention to occupy the seat alongside Veekay, but after a silent phase, JHR confirmed Sting Ray Robb would continue occupying that seat. Dale Coyne Racing remained the only option Daly had. However, in a recent episode of his Speed Street podcast released on Wednesday, December 24, the 34-year-old confirmed that he was out of contention for it.

"There's obviously a lot of talk and speculation on who's going there (DCR), and I know my name has been in that hat," Daly said [6:30 onwards]. And I talked to Dale, you know, several times. But yeah, that's not looking like somewhere that I will be, and that's fine." "To be honest, I have not heard from Dale in a long time. So, he's got his way of doing things. I respect him. I've driven there before, but I think they've got other things that they are working on. So I'll be very curious to see how that ends up," the Noblesville, Indiana native added.

A couple of months ago, there was a fleeting rumor that claimed Yuki Tsunoda had talks with DCR owner Dale Coyne for a potential 2026 switch away from F1. The Japanese driver was at risk of losing his Red Bull seat alongside Max Verstappen, which he ultimately did to Isack Hadjar. However, the Tsunoda rumors died with Red Bull retaining him in a test and reserve driver role.

Coyne's initial self-imposed deadline to finalize his 2026 driver lineup was Halloween (October 31). Though Dennis Hauger was confirmed as one driver, the second seat remains open even past the next two deadlines, Thanksgiving (November 26) and mid-December.

The Indy 500 options that Conor Daly has for 2026

The No. 76 JHR Chevy of Conor Daly at the 109th Running Of The Indianapolis 500 - Source: Getty

Conor Daly's oval performances were a phenomenon in 2025, with even champions like Will Power and Alex Palou commending his brave moves on the high line. The ex-Juncos Hollinger Racing driver's best result of the season was a P5 at the season finale in Nashville.

It would be a shock if no team signed Daly to run the 110th Indy 500 next year, especially considering that he was in contention for a victory at the prestigious race this year, before rear tire troubles derailed his run. Dreyer and Reinbold Racing is seemingly the top prospect to sign him to race alongside Jack Harvey.

Teams like Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing and Meyer Shank Racing, which have been running extra Indy 500 entries, also seemingly have vacancies. However, as per reporter Marshall Pruett's claim on the RACER Mailbag, Takuma Sato will return with RLL, and Helio Castroneves with MSR, a team he co-owns.

For Conor Daly, the seat with DRR could give him a real shot at winning the Indy 500. Ryan Hunter-Reay, who piloted the No. 23 DRR Chevy, was in contention for a second victory at the Greatest Spectacle of Racing this year if not for a late mechanical issue on lap 171 of 200.

Edited by Yash Kotak