After splitting driving responsibilities between two organizations during the previous two seasons, Conor Daly will have Ed Carpenter Racing to call as his sole home for the 2022 NTT IndyCar Series season as it was announced that Daly will be piloting the No. 20 ECR Dallara-Chevrolet as a full-time competitor for the upcoming season with sponsorship support from BitNile Holdings, Inc.
Daly, a 30-year-old native from Noblesville, Indiana, and a former Star Mazda champion, is coming off his fourth full-time campaign in the IndyCar Series, where he split driving duties between Ed Carpenter Racing and Carlin. His best on-track result during the 2021 season were back-to-back 11th-place results at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course and at World Wide Technology Raceway in August. He also led a race-high 40 laps during the 105th running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where he finished 13th.
For the past two seasons, Daly contested on the road and street course events for ECR while competing on the ovals for Carlin except for the Indianapolis 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where he remained at ECR.
Daly made his IndyCar debut during the 97th running of the Indianapolis 500 in May 2013, where he drove the No. 14 A.J. Foyt Enterprises Honda to a 22nd-place result. Through 2021, he has achieved one pole, one podium result and 16 top-10 results. His best result in the IndyCar Series is a runner-up result at The Raceway on Belle Isle during the first of a Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix doubleheader feature in June 2016. He claimed his maiden pole at Iowa Speedway in July 2020 during a doubleheader weekend.
“Being chosen to represent BitNile is without a doubt one of the most important opportunities of my career,” Daly said. “This is an incredible partnership that we look forward to being able to strengthen and grow as we go after race wins together. To be able to come back to Ed Carpenter Racing for the full season is incredible. I haven’t had the chance to be with one team for the entire year since 2017, so this is something I am very, very thankful for. I have a lot of faith in ECR, and each year we continue to get better together. I couldn’t be more excited to get on track in the BitNile Chevrolet.”
BitNile Holdings, Inc., which will make its inaugural presence in the IndyCar Series, will serve as a primary sponsor on Daly’s No. 20 Chevrolet as part of a multiyear partnership with Ed Carpenter Racing. The company will also serve as an associate sponsor for ECR’s No. 21 Chevrolet driven by Rinus VeeKay, who remains as the team’s second full-time competitor as he is coming off a season where he claimed his maiden IndyCar victory at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course in May.
“I’ve been a fan of INDYCAR racing for a long time, and we are proud to have the opportunity to team up with Ed Carpenter Racing,” Milton “Todd” Ault III, BitNile Founder and Executive Chairman, said. “It’s a natural fit for BitNile to join an Indiana business like Ed’s as we have a number of investments in the Midwest, including our mining facilities. BitNile operates with a ‘Risk On’ philosophy where risk is an integral element if you want to win. Conor Daly and ECR share that mindset, making us in perfect alignment.”
“I am extremely proud to welcome BitNile to the ECR family,” Carpenter, who plans to compete in this year’s 106th running of the Indy 500, added. “It is exciting to be able to expand our team’s involvement in the culture of Bitcoin after running the Bitcoin car last May. We will also represent a few other exciting brands within BitNile Holdings as the year progresses, so there is more to come.”
Daly is scheduled to make his first start as a full-time competitor for Ed Carpenter Racing at the Streets of St. Petersburg for the 2022 season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, which will occur on February 27 at noon ET on NBC.
