Conor Daly shares cryptic update about 'false realities' in IndyCar amid seat uncertainty for 2026

Conor Daly has given a cryptic update on his conversations in the IndyCar paddock about a seat for 2026. The IndyCar veteran, who drove full-time for Juncos Hollinger Racing in 2025, shared how he has been presented with 'false realities' about a potential drive for next year.

Daly's 2025 season with JHR left the team with a mixed bag of results. The 33-year-old's oval-racing proficiency handed the team four Top 10 results on ovals, including a Top 5 at the season finale in Nashville. However, on road/street circuits, both of the team's drivers, Conor Daly and Sting Ray Robb, had a tough time. Robb's P9 at Long Beach was the team's only Top 10 on non-ovals.

For next season, Juncos Hollinger Racing has signed Rinus Veekay as its 'lead driver'. While Robb seemingly has a multi-year contract that extends into 2026, the team hasn't confirmed it, meaning Daly remains in the mix to be Veekay's teammate.

However, the Noblesville, Indiana, native shared a downbeat update about his future in IndyCar in a recent episode of his Speed Street podcast.

"This last week has been very trying, I would say," Conor Daly said about his seat situation. "A lot of false realities have been presented to me. Maybe people are just afraid to be truly honest about situations. But it's been difficult to work through. The funny part about it is, one day, all of a sudden, you think you've got options. You're like, 'Oh my gosh, we might go racing.' Then all of a sudden, they're completely shattered. It's a weird thing as a driver because I don't think I would ever tell someone something that would lead them down a path."

Daly explained his situation with an analogy comparing himself to a kid in school who was promised playground time during recess in school, only to be robbed of it with more study time when recess came around.

Conor Daly "not dead yet" in the 2026 IndyCar driver market

The No. 76 JHR Chevy of Conor Daly in the pits at the IndyCar Snap-On Milwaukee Mile 250 - Source: Getty

Conor Daly has found himself in such uncertainty about a future in IndyCar many times in his career. There have been only three seasons where he's been a full-time driver for a team in the premier American open-wheel racing series since his debut in 2013.

The last of those ended bitterly, after Ed Carpenter Racing cut Daly's second season with the team midway through the 2023 season. While the 33-year-old remains grateful for his time in IndyCar, he feels let down by how he's been treated in the series.

"It's just been a weird time of year," he said on the aforementioned podcast. "And again, I've been very lucky to be part of the sport for as long as I have been. There's been some amazing moments, but sometimes, it's just like, dang. I feel like I've given everything to this sport, and sometimes, the way I'm treated in return is just kind of a shame."

Looking at the positive side, Conor Daly added:

"We'll see what happens, though. There's still a lot of great people out there. There's still a lot of great conversation we are having. I am not dead yet. I certainly am not dead yet. There are still some seats, maybe not some, but maybe just one. But either way, we'll continue fighting."

The second Juncos Hollinger Racing seat seems to be Daly's only option for a 2026 drive.