Less than a week after Conor Daly and Ed Carpenter Racing agreed to part ways in the NTT IndyCar Series, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing announced Daly will join the team for Round 1 of the 2023-2024 Nitrocross season June 16-17 at the Mid America Outdoors racecourse in Jay, Oklahoma.
Dally joins the organization that swept the top three positions in the premier division Group E standings last season with Robin Larsson winning the championship over Andreas Bakkerud and Fraser McConnell.
With more than 100 starts in IndyCar as well as NASCAR’s three top divisions, IMSA WeatherTech Sportscars and open wheel midgets, Daly’s diverse background was part of what made him attractive to the Nitrcross team.
“We are thrilled to welcome Conor to the field for Round 1,” said Brett Clarke in a press release. “His top-flight resume in multiple disciplines, including IndyCar, NASCAR, and more, shows the excitement of motorsport’s best for Nitrocross’ unique brand of high-adrenaline racing.
“We’ve been looking to have Conor in the series for a number of years now and we’re excited to make this happen on the much-anticipated new track at Mid America Outdoors. Travis [Pastrana] and Conor have built up a close relationship since the pandemic, challenging each other in everything from iRacing, Nitro Circus’ offshore power boat invitational, 24 Hours of Lemons all the way to the Daytona 500. We look forward to seeing him put on a show and compete against Travis and a stacked field in Oklahoma.”
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Daly and Pastrana competed head-to-head in the 2023 Daytona 500 with Daly finishing 29th and Pastrana 11th. Daly also competed in the EchoPark Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) this season but failed to finish because of transmission problems.
Daly finished eighth in the Indianapolis 500, his only top-10 so far in the 2023 IndyCar season.
“I’m incredibly excited to join Dreyer & Reinbold Racing JC and compete in the upcoming Nitrocross race in Oklahoma,” Daly said. “The chance to test my abilities in this intense, adrenaline-fueled series is something I’ve been anticipating. I’m grateful to the team for believing in me and providing this incredible opportunity. I can’t wait to get behind the wheel and showcase what we can achieve together. I also want to thank Travis Pastrana and Nitrocross for all of their help and effort in getting this program together.”
Nitrocross has a tradition of welcoming talented drivers from other disciplines to their unique style of rally racing that features a blend of off-road competition with extreme sports. Last November, Chase Elliott and Austin Cindric competed at Wild Horse Pass in Phoenix, Arizona.
We are thrilled to announce @ConorDaly22 will drive for us in Round 1 of @Nitrocross_!
— Dreyer & Reinbold Racing (@DreyerReinbold) June 12, 2023
📲 More in bio!#DrivenByDRR pic.twitter.com/jpuAmB9pqk