Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing has dumped Jack Harvey ahead of the final three races of the 2023 IndyCar season, with Car #30 to be driven by Conor Daly at Gateway.
The development is an ironic one considering Daly is available because he was dropped by Ed Carpenter Racing earlier this year, with Ryan Hunter-Reay brought in to steer Car #20.
Daly was 20th in the series standings at the time that he and ECR “mutually agreed” to terminate their contract while Harvey is currently 22nd.
According to RLLR’s announcement, “The driver for the No. 30 entry for races at Portland International Raceway and WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca will be announced at a later date.”
Team co-owner Bobby Rahal said, “First, I would like to thank Jack Harvey for all of his efforts on behalf of RLL for the last year-and-a-half.
“He committed fully to the team but for whatever reason, we weren’t able to achieve the results that he or the team deserves and we wish him well in the future.
“We will use the final three races of the season to gauge other racing talent.
“I’m very pleased that Conor has agreed to join us in St Louis.
“He’s been strong there and I feel that he can bring value to the team while also providing us with a strong effort.
“I look forward to having him with us.”
Daly, who is up to his third team in 2023 after filling in for Simon Pagenaud at Meyer Shank Racing, already had connections with RLLR.
“It means a lot to have a chance to drive for the Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing team,” he said.
“I’ve known Bobby ever since I was a child, our families are very close.
“Mike Lanigan is someone that has known my dad for a long time, and I’ve known him well too.
“And David Letterman is a friend of our family as well so it’s very special to have the chance to drive for this organisation.
“I will obviously do the best job that I can for them to make them proud and make their partners proud and I hope to be able to deliver everything they are looking for.
“I’m excited for the chance to get back behind the wheel at one of my favourite tracks at World Wide Technology Raceway.”
The change put Lundgaard in the entry with full-time sponsorship from supermarket chain Hy-Vee, which has high profile within IndyCar thanks also to its title sponsorship of the Iowa double-header, whereas Car #30 operates to a rolling sponsorship model.
Lundgaard has achieved career-first pole positions, at Indianapolis (road course) and Toronto, in 2023, the latter of which he converted into a breakthrough victory.
He finished fourth last time out on The Brickyard road course when team-mate Graham Rahal finished second from pole position, whereas Harvey was classified 14th.
Even still, that is only one position away from the Briton’s best result all season.
The Gateway event takes place on August 26-27 (local time).
Discussion about this post