Before IndyCar Series resumes, RLL Racing ends run with Harvey

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing parted with driver Jack Harvey on Tuesday and will put Conor Daly in its No. 30 car when the IndyCar Series resumes its season Aug. 27 at World Wide Technology Raceway near St. Louis.

The team has not announced a driver for the final two races at Portland on Sept. 3 and Laguna Seca the following weekend.

Harvey joined RLL last season but has never finished better than 10th in any race. His only podium in 79 starts in the IndyCar Series was third on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course in 2019 for Meyer Shank Racing.

His best run this season was 13th at Long Beach in the second race of the year.

“It was no secret that my time at Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing didn’t go as planned,” Harvey said on social media. “It was not through a lack of effort. I leave confident that I put my everything into every moment as a member of the team.

“Only time will tell what the future holds,” Harvey added. “I am more motivated than ever to find a new home in IndyCar to showcase what I am capable of doing behind the wheel of a race car. We are not defined by our failures but rather how we respond to them. This is just one chapter in my story, and I look forward to writing the next.”

Daly began the season in a full-time ride for Ed Carpenter Racing, finishing eighth in the Indianapolis 500. But the sides parted after the Detroit race, and Daly has since made three starts for the injured Simon Pagenaud at Meyer Shank Racing.

“It means a lot to have a chance to drive for the Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing team,” Daly said. “I’ve known Bobby [Rahal] 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. So it’s very special to have the chance to drive for this organization.”

RLL has been on an upswing after a difficult start to the season, which included Harvey bumping teammate Graham Rahal from the Indianapolis 500 field. Christian Lundgaard recently won from the pole at Toronto, and Rahal finished second from the pole during last weekend’s road course race at Indianapolis.

“We will use the final three races of the season to gauge other racing talent,” Bobby Rahal said. “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.”