What’s Happening?
Despite a mechanical failure that prevented Conor Daly from attempting a single-car qualifying run, the Speed Street podcast host joined the field for the second of two Duels. When he did, though, his car was bouncing uncontrollably. On the team radio, Conor described the feeling as if he was running over Supercross woops. That description was quite ironic, given that he was racing Supercross champion Travis Pastrana for the chance to start in the Great American Race. As The Money Team worked to overcome the issue, the front of the field grew contentious. Then, the “craziness” that comes with Daytona struck as Kyle Busch was spun in front of the 21 car field. His spin affected Pastrana who crashed into Austin Hill, and both were too damaged to continue on. With the other two open qualifying contenders out of the race, Daly had a clear path to Sunday’s grid.
What You Need to Know:
- Popular INDYCAR driver Conor Daly signed a deal with The Money Team and his INDY sponsor, BitNile.com, to attempt to qualify for the 2023 Daytona 500.
- After being unable to make a single-car qualifying run, Daly found himself in a must-win situation of sorts; having to be the leading open entrant in his duel.
- With 36 charter entries guaranteed a starting position, smaller teams and part time Cup Series drivers were forced to compete for the final 4 spots on the grid. This battle brought special intrigue to the duels as everyone anticipated who was in and who was out.
Daly is IN the 500. pic.twitter.com/5CyKLn4EDL
— Eric Estepp (@EricEstepp17) February 17, 2023
Main Characters
Amid all the excitement, Daly celebrated with fans on Twitter.
WE MADE THE #DAYTONA500 !!! Unreal! LETS GO https://t.co/1LAbJRMRnw
— Conor Daly (@ConorDaly22) February 17, 2023
In his interview on FS1, Conor said, “We were inherently unlucky for the last 36 hours, but we got luck on that one.” The team kept fixing during pit stops. “We were on the right side of the craziness.”
Around the Garage
I really appreciate you @JimmieJohnson it’s awesome to call you a friend. Thanks for the advice! Let’s go racing Sunday #Daytona500 https://t.co/rmONCjhUMH
— Conor Daly (@ConorDaly22) February 17, 2023
NASCAR veteran and open qualifier Jimmie Johnson, a fellow INDYCAR driver with Daly, shared some advice which Conor attentively absorbed from his friend.
In the Stands
On social media, fans from all over could not wait to wait to comment on Conor Daly’s “miracle”
— Ben 🇨🇦 (@_ben_11) February 17, 2023
Ben from Canada uses the famous line to convey his outlook, “Do you believe in miracles?! Yes!”
Jamey216 shared his excitement with a touch of apprehension.

Luke Sebastian summed up the second duel’s open qualifiers with a little history.

In Your Ear
On his podcast prior to the qualifying rounds, Daly discussed his preparation and outlook. He even shared that his mom, popular in her own right, had already booked a flight out of Daytona for Friday morning, following the completion of the duels.
On your Screen
Out of the Groove’s Eric Estepp reacts to the duels and asks what most fans did after Daly’s duel.
From the Pressbox
Donut Media Racing Show host Alanis King had some fun with words to describe the moment.
Everything happens for a porpoise
— Alanis King (@alanisnking) February 17, 2023
After the race, Conor even admitted he had joined in on those plans to leave Daytona on Friday.
.@ConorDaly22 tells @MRNRadio he booked a flight to Los Angeles yesterday thinking he wasn't going to make the race on Sunday ☠️
— Davey Segal (@DaveyCenter) February 17, 2023
💭 "Reverse psychology," he says.
The Daly duo has some flights to cancel after they finish celebrating.
Conor Daly and his mom celebrate him making the Daytona 500. pic.twitter.com/EQd9BSCG9x
— Jordan Bianchi (@Jordan_Bianchi) February 17, 2023
Nathan Brown of the IndyStar provided some quotes from Daly. After the Thursday night result, he called Conor’s words “prophetic.”
"I could’ve not done it & saved whatever stress it might’ve involved, but I don’t want to get to the end of my life & think, ‘I had 1 chance to qualify for the 500, & said no because it might’ve been hard.'
— Nathan Brown (@By_NathanBrown) February 17, 2023
"If we make it, it’ll be historic.”
Prophetic. https://t.co/KQ82mLEuxL
After the race, Matt Weaver caught up with the No. 50 crew chief Tony Eury Jr. Eury answered questions about the mechanical concerns apparent at the start of the race.
Tony Eury Jr on what plagued Conor Daly and The Money Team and why he thinks he can get the car right for Sunday pic.twitter.com/NaQrJ6nJCg
— Matt Weaver (@MattWeaverRA) February 17, 2023
Daly, through his podcast and personal engagement, has proven to be a fun personality in motorsports. With his duel result, he will have his once-in-a-lifetime chance to have some fun in the Daytona 500.