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Conor Daly replaces Max Chilton on ovals for rest of 2019 IndyCar season

By Brittany Frederick

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - MAY 24: Conor Daly of USA, driver of the #25 Andretti Autosport Honda prepares to drive during Carb Day for the 103rd Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 24, 2019 in Indianapolis, Indiana (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - MAY 24: Conor Daly of USA, driver of the #25 Andretti Autosport Honda prepares to drive during Carb Day for the 103rd Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 24, 2019 in Indianapolis, Indiana (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images) /
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Conor Daly will replace Max Chilton at Carlin for the remaining oval races in the 2019 IndyCar season, as Chilton has stepped aside.

Conor Daly is replacing Max Chilton in the four oval races left during the 2019 IndyCar season, starting with Saturday’s DXC Technology 600. The decision was Chilton’s.

Carlin announced Tuesday it had signed Daly, hot off his Top 10 finish at the 2019 Indy 500, to a four-race deal. What IndyCar fans probably didn’t expect was he’ll be subbing for Chilton at Texas, Iowa, Pocono and Gateway. Chilton will continue to drive the No. 59 Carlin entry on the remaining road and street course events at Road America, Toronto, Mid-Ohio, Portland and Laguna Seca. According to the team’s press release, it was Chilton’s decision to vacate his seat for the four oval races.

“I would like to thank Gallagher for being supportive of my decision to not compete in the remaining oval races this season,” the 28-year-old Chilton said. “I am extremely fortunate to have such a supportive partner.

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“Risk management is a central consideration of both Gallagher and myself in how we operate,” Chilton continued. “I’m excited and pleased by the outstanding proactive work being done by IndyCar around driver safety, and the innovation of the solution developed in partnership with Red Bull Advanced Technologies that has created a new aero screen. The innovative solution will be the most advanced single-seater driver head protection in the world and will be introduced in 2020.

“My focus remains on getting the best possible results for the No. 59 Gallagher Carlin crew and I will be helping the team and Conor in any way I can to that end.”

It’s a massive break for Daly, who has been searching for a steady IndyCar ride since he lost his full-time seat at A.J. Foyt Enterprises at the end of the 2017 season. He competed in four races in 2018, and then was signed by Andretti Autosport for this year’s Indy 500—where he ran within the Top 5 for much of the day and ended up with a career-best finish.

“I want to thank everyone at Carlin and Gallagher for the opportunity to get back in a race car at Texas Motor Speedway,” Daly said in Tuesday’s press release. “I thoroughly enjoyed working with Carlin back in 2011 as I started my European racing journey, and to now drive for them in the NTT IndyCar Series is pretty special. I look forward to being able to contribute to the team as best I can.”

Conor Daly is one of IndyCar’s most undervalued talents, who has deserved to run more races than he’s been able to in the last few years. His performance at the Indianapolis 500 proved he can contend in a highly competitive league, and it’s fantastic he’s being rewarded with a new opportunity.

At the same time, it’s sad to see Max Chilton walking away from races when he’s been an integral part of the Carlin operation since they entered IndyCar in 2018. The team is also looking to find a replacement for Patricio O’Ward at Iowa and Gateway, as O’Ward announced recently he won’t be competing there while he focuses on his Formula 1 efforts with Red Bull.

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The DXC Technology 600 takes place Saturday at 8 p.m. ET. For complete coverage of the 2019 IndyCar season, follow the IndyCar category at FanSided.