SALISBURY, N.C. — NTT IndyCar Series veteran Conor Daly returns to NASCAR as he rejoins Niece Motorsports for a limited schedule in the Craftsman Truck Series. He will drive the team’s No. 44 Chevrolet Silverado RST entry in three events this season.
Daly, a native Hoosier from Noblesville, Ind., will attempt to make his first start at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park on July 19. Having made several starts at the historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Daly has only competed once on the short track on the other side of town – a race that he won in what it now called the Indy Pro 2000 Series, in 2010.
The 32-year-old has competed in some of the world’s most prestigious racing events, including the Indianapolis 500, Daytona 500 and 24 Hours of Daytona, but considers competing in stock cars as one of the most fun disciplines in his diverse career.
His Truck Series campaign will also see stops at Kansas Speedway on Sept. 27 and Homestead-Miami Speedway on Oct. 26.
“I couldn’t be more excited to get back into a truck with Niece Motorsports!” said Daly. “Al Niece and Cody Efaw have always been great to me and supportive of my Indy 500 efforts as well over the years as we’ve got to know each other. We’ve been working on putting a program together for a while and I’m happy we could finally work out the details to go racing together once again.
“I have a lot to learn but I want to compete and I know these guys will give me a great chance at that. I am extremely thankful to have some great partners in Power Plus to make this happen. Everyone from Power Plus have been super willing to help out when I need it most and I love representing for them.”
Power Plus will serve as Daly’s primary sponsor for his first Truck Series start this season.
“Power Plus is thrilled to be partnering once again with Conor Daly and this time in the NASCAR Truck Series,” said Steve Bray, Founder & CEO of Power Plus. “One of the things we love about Conor is his enthusiasm, tenacity and passion for winning…both on and off the track. Whether it was in the P1 Boat races, in the dirt racing side by sides, or at the Indy 500, Conor exemplifies what it means to be a fierce competitor.
“We appreciate Conor’s perseverance and humility and we are proud to be associated with his winning attitude and his man-of-the-people persona.”
This won’t be the first time that this driver/team pairing has worked together, as Daly has made a total of three prior starts with Niece Motorsports since making his series debut in 2020. It will, however, be the first time in his career that he will make multiple Truck Series starts in the same year.
“Conor has been great to work with every time he’s stepped into one of our trucks,” said Cody Efaw, Niece Motorsports General Manager. “It’s been fun to see his interest in NASCAR grow since he made that first start with our team in Las Vegas a few years ago.
“Now that we have him secured for multiple races this year, I think that will give him a chance to go out there and learn each week to get better for his upcoming starts.”
Despite having limited experience, Daly has been apt to increase his presence in various NASCAR series. Recently, he made his ARCA Menards Series debut at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, where he finished eighth. He has made scattered starts across the NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series and Truck Series over the past handful of years. All three of his Truck Series starts came in Niece Motorsports fielded trucks.
In this year’s Indianapolis 500, Daly ran up front and nabbed his fourth top-10 finish of the race, leading 22 laps en route to a 10th-place showing for Dryer & Reinbold Racing.
Indianapolis, Kansas and Homestead-Miami will be the first races where Niece Motorsports enters the No. 44 Silverado RST. Daly will be paired with veteran crew chief, Wally Rogers.