Conor Daly praises Pato O’Ward after intense battle at WWTR
Conor Daly, driving for Juncos Hollinger Racing, openly praised Arrow McLaren driver Pato O’Ward following their fierce competition for the lead during the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at WWTR. Despite starting in 15th place due to a disappointing qualifying session, Daly made a strong start and moved into the top 5 within the first quarter of the race.
Around halfway through the race, a significant incident occurred when Josef Newgarden crashed and flipped his #2 Team Penske Chevrolet, bringing out a caution. During this caution, all leaders pitted for fresh tires. Daly and O’Ward, who were running 4th and 5th, executed excellent pit stops that allowed them to leapfrog into 1st and 2nd positions behind the safety car.
When the race resumed on lap 150, Daly and O’Ward engaged in a gripping battle for the lead that lasted nearly five laps. Daly consistently ran the higher line on the oval, while O’Ward defended the inside line. Daly finally overtook O’Ward on lap 154 to take the lead, but the two continued to run first and second, battling fiercely until Daly pitted on lap 190 for new tires.
In post-race interviews, Daly reflected on their duel, saying, “We just kept working, every restart, moving forward. Battling with Pato felt really good for the lead. Thought we had a shot at it honestly but the last two pit stops really hurt us.” He added praise for O’Ward’s driving, “He raced me clean. There’s a reason that guy has got a plane and a bunch of money and he’s one of the best drivers right now. He’s really good, raced me clean and I gotta respect that.”
Daly’s comment about O’Ward having “a bunch of money” alluded to the public revelation of O’Ward’s salary during McLaren’s lawsuit against Alex Palou.
Pit stop struggles cost Daly a potential win
Daly made his penultimate pit stop on lap 190, slightly earlier than his closest rivals, but experienced a slow pit cycle. His final pit stop also was not ideal and was compounded by tire degradation issues on his last set of tires.
He explained that his car was definitely capable of winning the race, but the poor timing and execution of the last two pit stops cost him dearly. Daly said, “We were better than he was for sure. Our car was better.” He added, “We just lost too much in the pit cycle. It seemed to just fall off a little bit more (last stint).”
Ultimately, Daly finished the race in 6th place, while Pato O’Ward secured a podium finish behind race winner Kyle Kirkwood.