“Not bad for a back marker”: Conor Daly snaps back at Santino Ferrucci’s remarks with a splendid qualifying at Iowa

Conor Daly aimed another subtle dig at Santino Ferrucci following the qualifying session of the IndyCar Iowa Speedway race on Saturday, July 12. The 33-year-old took to social media to share a post after securing the second position in the qualifying session of the oval race.

The Juncos Hollinger Racing driver, who was involved in a subtle spat with Ferrucci, saw the feud take the spotlight ahead of the Newton event. Particularly, Santino Ferrucci, in his pre-race interaction with the media, dubbed Conor Daly a “backmarker” as he addressed the incident between the pair that occurred during the previous Mid-Ohio Grand Prix.

However, following the conclusion of qualifying in Iowa, Daly took to his X account to share a post while also aiming a dig at the AJ Foyt Racing driver. He wrote:

“Front row race 1 ✅ thanks to this @juncoshollinger @TeamChevy for giving me a great car. Wanted the pole position but excited to get to work this afternoon. Not bad for a back marker I guess 🧐 #indycar.”

Conor Daly indeed outqualified Ferrucci in both laps around the oval course for the doubleheader weekend. The former Ed Carpenter Racing driver qualified in second place for the Saturday evening race and also secured seventh on the grid for the second race on Sunday.

As for Ferrucci, the Connecticut native endured an underwhelming qualifying session, managing only ninth and 20th starting positions for both races.

With their spat continuing, both drivers will now aim to convert their respective starting positions into meaningful outings when the green flag drops to start the race on Sunday.

What Conor Daly said about the spat with Santino after IOWA qualifying

Conor Daly earlier aired his thoughts on the spat with Santino Ferrucci following the conclusion of qualifying. The Indiana native spoke to the media to address the ongoing feud between the pair at the oval event.

Daly, who achieved his highest qualifying position of the 2025 season so far, revealed that he actually had a conversation with Ferrucci during the drivers' meeting. The Juncos Hollinger driver also mentioned that the incident is being exaggerated by the media. Speaking in a video shared on X by journalist Bob Pockrass, he stated:

“People are actually very upset about the wonderful conversation we had — slightly prompted by Max Papis who got us together. I think it’s a little less violent and awful than people think it is. But there are a lot of comments, wild wild quote game, and yeah... I mean, it is what it is. Realistically, there’s a race to be run, and hopefully it’s a smart race. There’s no reason…” “Like I told Santino to his face — I was like, ‘Dude, you're in a great position. You’ve had a great spot all year long. There’s no reason to do something that would take us both out. We both want to have a good day.’ So we shook hands and all,” Daly added.

While Conor Daly appears to have downplayed the incident between both drivers, it's worth noting that his tension with Santino Ferrucci dates back to the 2021 IndyCar off-season. The pair were previously involved in a social media spat, which was reignited during the off-season testing session for the Indy 500 in 2022. This long-standing tension resurfaced once again when Ferrucci clattered into Daly during the Indy 200 Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio.

Edited by Sumeet Kavthale