INDYCAR MEDIA CONFERENCE

July 20, 2022

Conor Daly

David Malukas

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Thanks for joining us for our videoconference here promoting the Hy-Vee INDYCAR weekend at Iowa this coming weekend. We are joined by Conor Daly, driver of the No. 20 BitNow Chevy for Ed Carpenter Racing, and David Malukas, the No. 18 HMD Dale Coyne HMD Honda driver. Thanks for joining us today.

Conor, I'll start with you. Obviously the last time we were at Iowa it was a good weekend for you. You won the pole for race one, finished up the last oval we were on with a P6. Are you excited to get back to oval racing this weekend and return to Iowa?

CONOR DALY: Yes, more oval racing, please, anytime, anyplace, anywhere. I love it. To be back at Iowa is awesome.

But like going back is great, but seeing what Hy-Vee is doing and seeing what was being constructed at the track like when we were testing there two weeks ago, I mean, it is awesome.

I think recently we've had such great events into the schedule like St. Louis coming back, they obviously do an incredible job promoting that event, the crowd is great there, the event is incredible, Nashville has been awesome, and having Iowa come back -- it's always been a great race at Iowa, but now to see kind of the concerts, the setup of how you can watch it, it's awesome.

Yeah, we want to win, but just to be a part of this event I think is going to be really, really cool, and just to see how people react to it is going to be awesome, I think.

THE MODERATOR: I saw a photo earlier today, I think Graham tweeted it, it was some of the temporary grandstands they've added for this weekend and they look really sharp.

David, you're new to the Iowa Speedway; however, last year in the Indy Lights series you won both races at a similar short oval at Worldwide Technology Raceway. How excited are you to get to Iowa and test your oval skills?

DAVID MALUKAS: I am very excited. We did have the test day there, which let's just say Iowa is definitely special and there was a big learning curve to it. Thankfully I did have Takuma to help me along the way, but yeah, I'm very excited to get to a short oval, the first one of the season, so I'm very excited.

I think Iowa is going to be very well. The team did very well there. Unfortunately from our end we had a bit of issues so we got short track time, but I'm feeling very confident going into it.

Q. David, you did just mention Takuma there; how much do you lean on him for knowledge for tracks like the ones coming up here in Iowa?

DAVID MALUKAS: I lean on him like a good majority, like a lot, especially for ovals. He's so talented. He has so many little tips and tricks, which I'm still trying to get to get everything out of him but I can tell he's keeping some things to himself, which I understand. He's definitely one of the best teammates I could have asked for, especially in my rookie season, and with Iowa being very successful and Takuma loving Iowa and always being successful there, it's definitely a good combination for me.

Q. Is there anything in particular you may lean on him for or is it just basically overall sort of knowledge?

DAVID MALUKAS: Nothing really too specific overall, but mainly just the one thing I struggle with Iowa is the amount of different lines that there are, at least at the test there was many different lines people were taking. Power was just entering wide, leaving wide and making it work while other people were going down tight. It's going to be just getting information about different lines at that he's tried and seeing which one to use for the qualifying and for the race.

Q. Obviously coming off of a track like here and Toronto was obviously very bumpy, going to a track like Iowa, it's probably not going to be as bad. Having a double sort of race weekend, is it physically demanding with a track like Iowa, or is it easy to sort of recover and get ready for the following race?

DAVID MALUKAS: Well, I'm expecting to be dizzy with such a short oval and that many laps, let alone it's also bumpy, so I was actually just at the Dale Coyne shop today getting all the elbow pads and hip pads and everything just to make sure that I can survive not just one race but two races for this double-header weekend.

Q. Conor, how much emphasis are you going to be putting on qualifying for this race in Iowa?

CONOR DALY: I mean, honestly, like I'm glad that David mentioned at the test that they were using different lanes because that's what we want to do. Our test there was a few less cars, so it wasn't quite as wide of a track.

But I mean, everyone is going to widen out the track. Like it's going to happen. I think the only difficult part is it's going to be so hot. I would much rather qualify up front and make people work to pass us than be like really good at lap 60 on tires, because a lot of people were like, oh, I think we're really good at lap 65 on tires or 60, and I was like, I don't even know if anyone is going to go that far on tires. So it'll be curious to just see how that plays out because the pace dropoff is substantial, substantial from like a qualifying sim to a let's say 40, 45 laps in.

I would much prefer qualifying up front, and that's certainly what we're going to go for, but you're also dealing with a park for May situation. You've got to be ready for both qualifying and the race at the same time, and that's kind of unique to this event. It's why our engineers are asking, hey, do you think for qualifying do we run this gear here, this gear here, but will that be okay for the race, because you don't want to miss on either side, so what do you settle for and what do you slightly compromise to make sure that both of them are good.

Q. One quick one about the heat; how do you prepare for that? Do you like electrolyte drink before? How much water do you drink? On the opposite side of that, how much fluid do you think you would use in a race in high heat which you're expected to experience here in Iowa?

CONOR DALY: Yeah, I think this weekend is without a doubt going to be the hardest we've been pushed in this era of INDYCAR racing for sure, with the aeroscreen, double-header at Iowa in the day. The forecast doesn't necessarily look super inviting or like wonderful.

So yeah, we've never run the cool shirt yet at an oval, but I think we're going to try to run the cool shirt this weekend. Certainly in my case I sweat an inordinate amount, so I've been drinking a gallon of water a day already this week with a big jug. I've got about as much hydration stuff as you could possibly fit into a human body for the next few days, and that's really it.

It's going to be an ice bath after race one, try to do that. It's going to be maximum effort to try to just make sure you're not only able to survive but perform. You can probably survive but you also want to be competitive. When you start losing the physical capability, you start losing competitiveness.

It's going to be a challenge, and if anyone says it's not, well, they're lying directly to your face.

THE MODERATOR: I would be remiss if I did not remind our drivers that are with us today to please take your ice bath after a post-race Zoom. Nobody needs to see anybody in an ice bath after Will Power in Iowa the last time we were there. We still get a giggle about that in the office.

Q. Conor, obviously you're with a different team this time around; is there anything you learned from your time at Carlin that you can use this weekend?

CONOR DALY: Yeah, for sure. We had a -- really, really enjoyed my time with Carlin, and most of those guys are obviously on Callum's car, and they've got our pole setup there for sure. But I definitely know what made that car fast and kind of what I like about that car, and so -- it was a great experience. But we were only a one-car team, like Callum is, and he's been doing a great job with those guys.

But now to have Ed and Rinus, going to Iowa, you feel like you definitely have more of a -- I would say a strong outlook on potential on different setups, right. Ed and I drive a different car, Rinus and I drive a different car. We all drive a little bit differently, but if we find a few things that work all together, it's a strong thing to have, because Iowa is such an interesting track because I feel like it never feels great except for maybe like those two qualifying laps that you do, and so like you just try to make it feel less worse. So that ends up being the challenge all day long, because when you're 45 laps in and you're sliding around, you want to be sliding around just less than a few other people. So that's kind of the goal.

I learned a lot from Carlin. I brought a lot of information with me, obviously, because as any driver would, you take notes, you remember things, you remember especially when you go fast what helps you. I'm excited about this weekend.

Q. David, obviously with you being a rookie in INDYCAR, going to Iowa, how important is practice going to be for you heading into qualifying given that it's -- you said your first lap is for race one and your second lap is for race two?

DAVID MALUKAS: Any sort of time I can get in practice is super helpful. Even at the test we ended up having some engine issues so we couldn't do almost the entire afternoon at the test, so we already lost some time there. But it's going to be trying to get as much information as possible and working with Takuma's crew, as well, to try to get some information from him while we're on track and practice.

It's been helpful, especially with these new changes on the street courses and road courses that they've changed with these 75-minute sessions, all the veterans, they don't get this extra set, so they kind of just have to set and watch me just learn the track, which I've really been enjoying.

Yeah, going into I think it's one practice, right, 90 minutes, yeah, definitely going to be using all the time I can get there.

Q. David, the results don't necessarily show it, but you've had some good form this season; how well do you think you've adapted to driving an INDYCAR this year?

DAVID MALUKAS: Well, yeah, I think it shows. We started off the season with a bang and then from there just made a lot of rookie mistakes. But I'd say since kind of the month of May started, we've kind of -- I've finally been starting to figure out -- I've figured out what I want from the car and building the chemistry with the team and the team knows what I want and I know what they need, and together we've kind of been building this momentum, and from race after race, it seems that we're getting the hang of it, and yeah, every time it just keeps getting better.

Q. You've talked about that rookie transfer from the junior series to INDYCAR; what areas do you think you need to improve on for '23?

DAVID MALUKAS: Yeah, I mean, it would still be -- there's just so much to pit stops, and yes, they're better, but there's still a lot to gain and find there, and just any sort of strategy-wise. In Indy Lights I think it is a very good series to go up the ladder and prepare you for INDYCAR, but the one thing is really doesn't have is having pit stops, having strategies and different fuel mappings and so much overtake to figure out how to use it all. I think it's still going to be learning how to do that, and while I'm doing a fuel saving strategy and the guy behind me isn't, how do I know when to defend and use an overtake to defend going to the next corner, what are they going to make a move. Just little things like that which is obviously just going to take time.

Q. We have a double-header this weekend in Iowa. This is a circuit you've typically done well at. Do you think this is your best chance at getting a podium?

CONOR DALY: I think for sure up to this point. Indy GP was one we were aiming for, but obviously the weather and everything kind of made that one a bit of a shot in the dark. But yeah, I've been looking forward to this all year, and especially since the test. The test we were really wrong. I mean, we want to have two podiums. We want to win. So we'll see.

But we also have to beat Josef Newgarden here, which is quite challenging, and he, I assume, is probably going to be right up front again. It's going to be tough, but honestly, just getting on the podium for us is big just to start, but we want to win. We don't come here to the racetracks to lose. Yeah, so we'll see.

I think it's definitely our best chance, other than the 500. The 500 I think we had a great chance, but it was definitely going to be tough to beat those Ganassi cars.

THE MODERATOR: P6 in the Indy 500, great May for you, Conor. Is that your NTT P1 award from Iowa right behind you? That's a power move, man.

CONOR DALY: Yeah, yeah. Somehow -- I don't have many trophies from INDYCAR, so we kind of have to put them right there behind me. There's only two, and we hope to add two or three more this weekend. I guess there's four available, so we'll see. We could change the shelving after this weekend.

Q. I wanted to ask the importance of spotters, not so much from a safety point of view in terms of there's someone coming up behind you, but in terms of how much information can they pass on to you regarding how you should try this line because driver X -- well, let's say Josef probably, has found the quickest way around. Are you listening to them to say, hey, yeah, you should go really high on the exit of 2 and that kind of thing? Does that help, or is it already so much information rush coming to you just in terms of driving that you really don't want to hear that?

CONOR DALY: Honestly, for me, I love information, and my spotter Packy Wheeler, obviously a very, very experienced guy, and so he knows what looks good and what doesn't, and so I trust him for sure. I trust him with my life because I'm driving around, obviously, listening to him.

Yeah, I mean, it's also very interesting because Iowa, it could change in just a few laps. If you get a couple people running slightly higher, half a lane higher and you miss the bump in 1 slightly, I know 3 and 4, like that middle lane is 10 times smoother than the bottom lane, but you've got to have enough rubber to make that work.

When do you move up, when do you -- at what point in the stint are people making that work? I think information is power, so if you get information that's reliable and you can trust your spotter on that, then I think it's wildly important.

Q. David, how is it for you listening to a spotter when you're busy just trying to learn the kind of nuances of the track itself?

DAVID MALUKAS: I mean, I think Daly said it quite well there: Information is power. Actually to go off of it, at the test, at the Iowa test, Pancho, who's my spotter, he always tells me properly straight away if I'm doing something stupid like turning in too early. He tells me, you've got to stop doing that, you're turning too early, losing time.

I mean, like Power, for example, he was doing that wide line, and I learned that just because of Pancho. He told me about it and told me to try it, and obviously we ended up finding time through that.

It definitely is very helpful, and the more information you can get, especially me being a rookie, I take all of it.

CONOR DALY: Pancho is an honest spotter. He'll definitely not lie to you.

DAVID MALUKAS: Yeah, he's very truthful.

CONOR DALY: I love that guy.

DAVID MALUKAS: He's awesome.

Q. A question to both of you actually, as we're in this run of races now that are over multiple weekends. What's that do to your mindset, and also the team's ability to react to things where you've been at Toronto, then you've got this double-header, then you've got Indy GP again; how do you cope with that?

CONOR DALY: I mean, it's tough, because it's tough on everyone. Like it's a long stretch of races, and international travel with Toronto -- I know that was a little hectic for some people and seemed to take a little bit longer to get home for others like myself. But it's kind of what we do. This is what we signed up for.

I think everyone is going to be very, very excited to have an off weekend. I haven't had an off weekend since April, so I can't wait for middle of August.

But I think some of the teams, I assume with more and more people it probably spreads out the load slightly. Maybe the smaller teams might struggle a little bit more with it, but it's kind of what we signed up for. The double-headers are definitely hard. I respect the guys and girls that are working on the teams for sure, but obviously being in Indy next week is nice because that's a home race for a majority of the teams, and it's only a two-day event, too, which makes it a little quicker.

Without a doubt everyone is going to be worn out by post-Nashville, and Nashville, most people are going to be worn out more from hangovers after that race than anything else because that's just like a fun week. But it's a perfect time for a vacation week afterwards.

Q. David, for you and maybe a slightly smaller team, is there any impacts that happen to the Coyne team as a result of these massive run of weekends that you're going through right now?

DAVID MALUKAS: Yeah, well, it's tough when there's an incident involved. I went to the shop today, and the team is working very hard to still get Takuma's car ready for the incident that he had in Toronto, and it's moments like that with these short turnarounds from weekend to weekend where I think it gets tough.

So I obviously stopped by and I got some donuts to build morale within the team and make sure everybody is happy. From my end with these back-to-back weekends, it's fairly easy as a driver.

You have the race, yes, I'm exhausted, but you get those three days to rest until the next race comes for the weekend, when I feel like all the people of the team, they work very hard and then they have to come back and make sure everything is all flip-flopped and ready for an oval setup and then come back again and flop it back to get ready for the Indy GP. It's definitely a lot of work on their end.

Q. David, I know your dad was a big racer, obviously. How much of an influence did he have on you wanting to be a race car driver yourself?

DAVID MALUKAS: It's a lot. When you're a kid, you kind of just follow what's been given, right. Especially when I was a six-year-old and said I want to become a racer, that doesn't just come out of the blue. That was influence from my father. He never did anything on the serious end, but he always loved it when he was a kid. Never really had the opportunity to do anything for him with being in the Soviet Union.

But when he came to America he obviously got himself a Corvette to go around Road America and do some club races with a couple of friends, and we both together went into go-karting and he was in DD2 and I was in Kid Karts and it was just like a nice father-and-son moment, and throughout the years we ended up just following that path, and after a few years I was obsessed. I was glued to it, and I could never leave the racing world.

Q. Do you remember at what age you thought, this is real, I'm good at this? I'm going to turn this into something? Do you remember any fond memories of when that might have happened?

DAVID MALUKAS: I think it was when I was 12 or 13 years old when I first went over to Europe and ended up winning the X30 Le Mans World Finals. I remember that experience then. When I knew that, it's like, this is very serious. Of course we're also doing it just to have fun, but there's definitely some moments where it's like more on the working end, but every step of the way it's been amazing, and yeah, still early stages -- back then it felt like it was many years after and I just chose to take it seriously, but it was still early days. Yeah, it's been a wild ride.

Q. You kind of just mentioned it: Fun. Obviously the pressure now with your dad still involved, now you're in INDYCAR. Now you're in the top seat. Is it still fun? Do you still wake up every day like this is fun or do you still kind of feel the stressful moments now at the professional ranks?

DAVID MALUKAS: No, yeah. You definitely have the pressure. I put even more pressure on myself having an awful start to the season. But no, honestly it's so bad that I am so obsessed with INDYCAR. I don't think I could ever drive anything ever again other than INDYCAR. It is just so much fun, with the whole strategy.

In any other series it's kind of -- if you don't really qualify at the front you know it's going to be a tough race to get up there, where with INDYCAR if you qualify last or first and obviously Will Power is a great example for this at Mid-Ohio, literally comes from dead last and puts it on a podium. We still haven't managed to do that. I still need to learn how he does those magic tricks.

But it is what makes INDYCAR feel so special and you always have that clinging hope especially at the end. You're like, still one more pit stop, something crazy can happen, we still have a chance to be up there. That's kind of the strong connection that I have with the series.

Q. Conor, these are a good stretch of tracks coming up for you. Is it hard not to look ahead and stay focused on the race weekend? You've been doing this long enough, you're a professional, but is it hard still knowing that these next five tracks I can do something here, and does that change your goals any?

CONOR DALY: I mean, Nashville is the only one where it's kind of like, it's been tough for us on the street courses for sure, so we want to just take advantage of these next three races, right. Yeah, it's not added pressure. I'm just happy to go to places where I think we've done a lot of work at, and Iowa I think is just exciting in general because you never know what could happen during that race.

I mean, when I first started going to Iowa in INDYCAR, I was awful, and it's just amazing how quickly that can just change because you learn, you pick up on things, you figure out what you want there, and so yeah, we want to score a lot of points in these next two races in Iowa, and we want to do the same thing that we did at the Indy GP in May and be in the top 5 fighting for the podium.

It would be really, really, really nice to have a nice smooth next three races, but then I look at Gateway, too. Love Gateway. We're also coming up on two events that I've still not done with this team, Ed Carpenter Racing. So that'll be nice to just kind of get a feel for their program at both Iowa and Gateway and just kind of keep this season going, because obviously when it comes to points and when it comes to the season, there's definitely been one of -- statistically my best when it comes to points for sure, so we've just got to keep that going, and I think yeah, it's nice to have tracks that you feel confident about coming up rather than tracks where you're like, well, we hope we just save the day somehow.

Q. What about short tracks fits your style? You mentioned Gateway, Iowa, you've got your pole trophy behind you. What is it about short tracks that fits Conor Daly's style?

CONOR DALY: I honestly don't know really because if you would have asked me in 2016 I would have said they're my worst. I think it's just a matter of experience, it's a matter of getting comfortable with the limits of the car, and efficiently using the downforce that the car produces and just throwing it in there. Like it's just a matter of being super, super committed at Iowa, certainly in qualifying, because it's so fast that like physically it's literally pulling at your face and your entire body.

You've just kind of got to get through it and know that the car is going to catch you when you get to the center, even if you're hopping over all the bumps that there is on the track.

I don't know, I think I've just learned to be more comfortable with being uncomfortable.

Q. Is it like a short track as far as Iowa, similar to Richmond in NASCAR, I think it was Denny or Truex was telling me about the tire falloff fits a veteran driver because the younger guys might push a little harder, hey, you go by me but I'll see you in five laps as I've saved my tires. Is that maybe learned, as many races as you do over the years, where veterans might thrive here?

CONOR DALY: I would like to say yes, but I feel like in INDYCAR that's not as prevalent. I feel like there's not been many times -- it depends on the track, where it is. But there are sometimes you see the tires immediately fall off, a massive like deep end. But then you just pit immediately essentially. So yes, there's that extent.

I would say the dropoff for us is less progressive than you would see like in stock car racing. I would say it's more kind of like, you have one moment where the thing slides out from underneath you, then it's like, whoa, we'd better be pitting within two or three laps because it's going to be a real challenge.

So yeah, I think veterans definitely have an understanding more for it's a long race and anything can happen, and we've seen it time and time again. Whoever is 19th at Iowa on lap 95 could end up on the podium for some odd reason.

We looked at the last time it was a double-header, and the guys who pitted for new tires for the last stint like passed everyone insanely, and then you try the same thing the next day, which I did, and it didn't work as well.

Each day is going to be different, and each race has its own profile to it. Veterans for sure know, but the young guys and everyone in this series is extremely talented, so it's hard to really say anyone is at a disadvantage.

Q. Conor, I know you mentioned in 2018 you felt like short tracks were like your worst, so what do you think has changed aside from getting comfortable with being uncomfortable as you mentioned that has kind of helped you gain that expertise with short tracks?

CONOR DALY: I mean, honestly, I don't really know, but I think it comes down to the car you're driving, as well. Like I think if you have a comfortable car underneath you -- like when I got to Carlin, they had a certain philosophy that really worked well for me, both at Texas and the short ovals, and I guess -- with the short ovals, as well, it's not as much down to the extreme aerodynamic efficiencies that you'd see at Texas or Indy where you have the cars that have been in the wind tunnel and in the shop for months getting worked on just to find the last little bit of -- get the last little bit of drag out of it. You don't really need that at the short tracks. So it comes down to just nailing the setup.

I still remember talking to Michael Cannon, obviously who is Scott Dixon's engineer, was my engineer at Iowa my rookie year, and he literally looked at me after the race and was like, yeah, I'm sorry, we just didn't have it today. It was like, it's not your fault. It's like, we just did not nail it. I was like, I appreciate that. Like thank you. It was very tough.

Then literally a few years later we find something that makes me feel comfortable, and we're only talking about small things. You find a small thing in these cars to get it to just drive the way you need it, and it pays off leaps and bounds.

So I think it's more so understanding what I need out of the car, what I like in the car, and trying to relay that to the team and get to that point.

Q. You mentioned also that Iowa is your best chance to get a podium; what is it specifically about Iowa's track that you think will let you nail that setup, as you've mentioned?

CONOR DALY: Well, I would say it's one of our chances, like our more prevalent chances to get a podium. But I think it's just because -- if we tested there two weeks ago and it was awful, I would have been like, oh, I don't know. But we were fast, so it's something that -- it's a track that we've been to in the last couple weeks. It's a track where we did almost 300 laps testing and did more long runs than I've ever done there in a test and kind of just felt like we were in control all day.

That is what gives me confidence more so than anything I did in 2020 because that's obviously a different team, whole different era of life it seems like at this point.

I mean, definitely highlighting Iowa, Indy GP and Gateway over the next few weeks as tracks that we all want to take trophies home from.

Q. Conor, kind of a follow-up from these past questions. I know there's still several races to go, but is getting into the top 10 in points a realistic target for you, or is it still too early to think about that?

CONOR DALY: No, for sure. That's the goal. We want to be in the top 10 in the points when it comes down to the end of the season. When you look at the guys that we're around, you've got Rahal, Grosjean, guys that we know are obviously good or at least people that I've been told are better than I am, and I'm excited to go out there every weekend.

These races are so interesting, you see guys that are in the top 10 in points, all of a sudden in the back, and then at the front. One podium or one top-5 finish vaults you forward in the points. We have two races in front of us, we finish in the top 5 in both, you might be in the top 10 right then in the points, depending on what everyone else is doing.

It's definitely what we want to be doing. We want to be in the top 10 in points. I want to be trying to be the lead car for Ed Carpenter Racing, as well, but obviously Rinus is going to be extremely competitive at every race just like he always is. So yeah, it's going to be -- that's the goal for sure.

Q. David, similar question because the battle that you're having with Christian, it's been kind of tight. You both have constant results recently. What is it going to take to beat Christian?

DAVID MALUKAS: It's going to be -- yeah, we seem to -- he's very consistent when it comes to the races, so it's definitely going to be trying to make sure that all the pit stops go smoothly so we don't lose any positions because it seems like in the past few races, that's where we've kind of been losing is through those pit stops and losing positions through there.

As long as we can keep up with them and at least have some consistent times, then I think we can hold on to our position and kind of see it through to the end.

Q. I want to ask David, you told us recently you had an awful start to the season, and I want to ask you as a rookie if you think that that shows the world your value as a driver? As an INDYCAR driver, has it affected you in a negative way in these last races or in the start of the season?

DAVID MALUKAS: Yeah, like I mentioned earlier, yeah, I definitely did a lot of rookie mistakes at the start of the season, but thankfully I kind of did all of them as much as possible so I could just get them done and out of the way, and so we can just start focusing ahead.

I think through these past races just to show that we've been much more consistent and slowly been more at the top, and we always start these weekends off with the car not where it needs to be. Practice one we're always back a little bit lower on the field, but now that the team and I know what we want from each other, we're able to get the car where it needs to be by the time qualifying comes. Even through qualifying we still make many changes to make sure that it stays up to where the track is and to get those performances like we had in Toronto to make it into the Fast Six.

It definitely has been a team effort and the team has done an amazing job to just -- it's fine, you're a rookie, these things happen, and we've definitely surpassed and look past it, and we just keep getting better every single race.

Q. How hard is it to go to more than one different type of track? How do you get to be fast on those type of tracks? You're going to ovals, traditional tracks and street courses, so how much harder is it?

DAVID MALUKAS: I mean, they all have their own specialties to them, so for me it's kind of been the ovals. I've had Takuma to really leach off of and really help me on those and kind of carry me through. The traditional tracks is something that I'm very used to, and I've been accustomed to, and it's more just understanding how the Firestone tires react with them and the long stints and just looking at previous historical data with strategy-wise on two stops, three stops depending on the track.

Street courses, to be quick, you kind of just need to just get close to that wall as best you can and just -- luckily for INDYCAR they're built like tanks so you can tap the walls. Through qualifying I think every lap I scraped some sort of wall, but realistically that's the only chance you have, because sadly I chose such a competitive series, everybody here is insane, so if you want to be there you need to be scraping these walls or else you won't get there.

Yeah, that's kind of been the tough part about street courses. Hit the walls but just enough so you're quick and not too much on the damaging side.

Q. Conor, having in mind what we've seen in the season, you have a pretty good result at the 500 and now you're looking excited to race in Iowa this weekend. Do you think ovals are the type of track that fits you the most? And why?

CONOR DALY: I mean, yes. Yeah, but Indy GP was also good for us and being in the Fast Six there. I mean, I've been a road course guy at heart, but I do love oval racing in INDYCAR. I think it's something that we need several more of on our schedule. Would definitely love to see tracks like Richmond, Kentucky, whatever it is, any mile-and-a-half oval, any short oval, down for all those.

But I like it because it's -- on a road and street course, you might literally be driving around that entire weekend, you could change everything but the color on the car, and it's just -- it just doesn't work, whether it's down to the damper program, whether it's down to whatever you've got going on. You could just kind of be stuck.

On the ovals, you might find one thing because these cars are very, very just finicky with how they -- what they need and what they like for speed, and you find one thing, you dive deep technically into something on the short ovals and it pays off in a massive fashion and you feel like a hero. There's a lot that can happen on the ovals that I really enjoy, and it's just -- I like both styles of racing, obviously, but the oval racing for me right now for sure is my preference without a doubt.

THE MODERATOR: Thanks to all the media that have joined us today.