Test Patterns: Conor Daly on Point in Prep for Vital Iowa Weekend

Fox Sports

2 days ago

INDYCAR
There's no question the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge is the race that every NTT INDYCAR SERIES driver circles on their calendar for its magnitude.
But the Sukup INDYCAR Race Weekend on July 11-13 at Iowa Speedway isn't that far behind on that list of important events for one reason -- it's the only doubleheader on the 2025 schedule, so drivers can climb or fall in the standings on this .894-mile oval more quickly than any other race weekend.
'It feels like a double-points race because we have two races here,' Andretti Global driver Colton Herta said.
That points reality placed even more importance on a team test June 25 at Iowa, with 21 of the 27 full-time drivers in the series turning laps to prepare for the Synk 275 on Saturday, July 12 and the Farm to Finish 275 on Sunday, July 13 (both races live on FOX, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network).
This wasn't an Open Test, so no times and speeds were released, but it's still time for some itemized deductions:
Daly Set for Breakthrough Win?
Conor Daly's name appears near the top of any list of most likely first-time winners in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, and that dream may be closer to reality after this test. Daly was the fastest overall in the No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Chevrolet.
There are more signs pointing upward for Daly at Iowa. One, his only career pole came at this track, in 2020. Two, his best races this season have come on ovals, finishing eighth in the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge and sixth earlier this month at World Wide Technology Raceway. He led 13 laps at Indy and 36 at WWTR.
While Daly is beyond eager to break his 124-race winless drought, he hopes part of practice is reserved for getting rubber down on the higher line of the asphalt racing surface, allowing for more car setup and passing options.
'I love this track,' Daly said. 'P1 today is nice. A really good learning experience for us. Not really sure what to say when it comes to race trim. I think a lot of people were trying to run in packs.
'I think we can follow close, but I think we need our high-line session. We love our good high-line session, so when we come back here, let's run our high-line session the whole time. That would be sweet.'
Palou Right in the Mix
Three-time series champion Alex Palou finally broke through with his first career oval victory in May at the Indianapolis 500 but followed with a challenging next oval race June 15 at WWTR, battling back from going nearly a lap down to place eighth, 14.1018 seconds behind winner Kyle Kirkwood.
So, was the Indy win an exception to the rule, or was the WWTR race an anomaly? Probably the latter, at least when looking at Palou's results at this test.
The Spaniard was second fastest behind Daly in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.
Newgarden, Penske Searching for Speed
Six-time Iowa winner Josef Newgarden said before yesterday's test that he and the No. 2 Team Penske crew had a dual focus on this test, splitting their minds on qualifying setup and long runs to simulate the race.
That focus on qualifying may seem odd, considering a Team Penske driver has won the pole for 11 of the last 13 NTT INDYCAR SERIES races at Iowa. But Newgarden had a point: He started 22nd and 14th for the two races of the Iowa doubleheader last year, and it's tough to climb to the top amid all the traffic and chaos of this bullring starting that far back. Newgarden ended up finishing third and seventh, respectively.
Pace has been an issue for Team Penske all season, as the team has no victories and two poles. That worrying trend continued at Iowa, as Newgarden ended up 11th and teammates Will Power and Scott McLaughlin 14th and 15th, respectively.
All three Team Penske drivers have victories at Iowa, so they know how to find victory lane here. But the spoils go to the speedy, and Team Penske needs to find pace.
Hopeful Test for Ericsson
It's an understatement to say Marcus Ericsson's move to Andretti Global from Chip Ganassi Racing after the 2023 season hasn't gone as planned. He was 15th in points last season and is 21st at the halfway point of this season after three consecutive sixth-place championship finishes for CGR from 2021-23.
This test provides hope for Ericsson, who has just one top-10 result this season. He ended up fourth on the speed charts and was the fastest of the three Andretti Global drivers, clocking in just ahead of teammate Herta.
Ericsson has become a skilled oval racer since joining the INDYCAR SERIES in 2019 despite his road-racing pedigree, and top-five results – or even a victory – could turn his fortunes in a hurry at this event weekend.
But he was 15th in points after his first season with Andretti last year, and he's 21st this season.
MSR Keeps Rolling
It's no longer just a nice story from a race weekend or two: Meyer Shank Racing w/ Curb-Agajanian continues to step up this season into the pantheon of elite teams in the series, and this test did nothing to dispel that.
Felix Rosenqvist was third and teammate Marcus Armstrong eighth on the speed charts in the team's Honda-powered cars.
Rosenqvist is fourth in the series standings and Armstrong 11th, as MSR has joined the 'Big Four' of Chip Ganassi Racing, Arrow McLaren, Andretti Global and Team Penske as a team with two drivers in the top 11 of the standings.
Combining the total points of each of those team's two drivers in the top 11 sees CGR first at 617, Arrow McLaren second at 503, Andretti Global third at 477, MSR fourth at 415 and Team Penske fifth at 387.
It's been a breakthrough season for Mike Shank and Jim Meyer's team, and that shows no signs of stopping at Iowa.
Solid Showing for PREMA
First-year NTT INDYCAR SERIES team PREMA Racing shocked the racing world in May when its rookie driver, Robert Shwartzman, became the first rookie to win the pole for the Indianapolis 500 since 1983. It was the first oval race for the driver and team.
PREMA's background is decades of success in global junior open-wheel series, all taking place on road courses. But its rapid assimilation to the subtlety and unique nature of finding speed on ovals continued at this test.
Shwartzman ended up 12th, and veteran teammate Callum Ilott was 13th in the team's Chevrolet-powered cars.