Conor Daly got his first taste of Midget racing this September in the Driven2SaveLives BC39 support race for NASCAR’s Brickyard 400 on a newly designed track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
He finished 10th (last) in his heat and 12th of 13 in his qualification race, but enjoyed the experience enough to add two more Midget races to his schedule.
Daly’s next race will be December 15, 2018 at DuQuoin, Illinois and he hopes that experience provides a suitable warmup for the prestigious Chili Bowl in mid-January.
Last year’s edition of the Chili Bowl was won by Christopher Bell.
“I got a taste last September at IMS, and the Chili Bowl is such a cool event and I want to try it,” Daly told Robin Miller. “I don’t have any great expectations, but I liked trying the dirt and I’ll get some laps at DuQuoin before the Chili Bowl, so that will help.”
Daly’s car will be entered by Jonathan Byrd Racing.
“To step out of your comfort zone and try the dirt shows me he’s a racer,” said David Byrd, who runs the organization named for his late father. “We’re renting a car from Jody Rosenboom of Iowa, and it’s a good car for a beginner, and hopefully Conor can get 30-40 laps under his belt at DuQuoin.”
Looks like I’m going dirt racing again. Getting #ChiliBowl ready 🇺🇸 can’t wait! https://t.co/hxDLMpZwfk
— Conor Daly (@ConorDaly22) November 27, 2018
Winter just got busier than normal! Dec 15 - DuQuoin Midget Race to start and now we are entered into the @cbnationals thanks to @ByrdRacing @JodyRosenboom ! They’ve been asking since 2016 when I’d be ready to give it a shot so here we go. Cant wait to learn more on the dirt! #22
— Conor Daly (@ConorDaly22) November 28, 2018