"Sorry buddy": Conor Daly claps back at Indy 500 critic with a 'fact'

The Indy 500 is the premier race on the IndyCar calendar, which also happens to be Conor Daly's home race. Subsequently, when the Juncos Hollinger Racing driver found an Indy 500 critic demeaning the race as not being a sporting event, the Indiana-born driver hit back at the critic with facts.

The 2025 edition of the Indy 500 will mark the event's 109th running, showcasing the race's massive heritage. With the 2.5-mile track often being a sold-out event, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway has a permanent seating capacity of over 250,000 people.

With the Indy 500 rolling around, the attendance of the Grand Prix is increased using temporary solutions to well over 350,000. So, when a netizen asked about which is the biggest sporting event on earth, Conor Daly easily answered with the Indy 500.

However, a critic soon showed up and replied to Daly's post by commenting:

"He said [a] sporting event."

Despite the dig at Indy 500, the JHR driver jibed back at the person for downplaying Indy 500's legacy with hard facts, and wrote on X (formerly Twitter):

"It is literally, the largest attended single day sporting event in the world like as a fact. It’s not just an opinion… sorry buddy."

While Conor Daly loves IndyCar racing, he did not have a full-time drive on the grid since 2023. However this was a trend which he was able to change this year.

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Conor Daly reveals the true reason why he has a drive at Juncos Hollinger Racing for the 2025 season

Conor Daly at the INDYCAR Series The 107th Indianapolis 500 - Source: Getty

The 33-year-old made two appearances at an IndyCar race last year and claimed a top-10 result at the elusive Indy 500 in his super-sub performance. He was then called up by Juncos Hollinger Racing to replace Agustin Canapino and made the stellar use of this opportunity by claiming some great results.

One such result included Daly's podium at Milwaukee, which gave JHR its first IndyCar podium. The Indiana-born driver later revealed how this podium was the sole reason why he got a full-time drive for the 2025 season, and said (via Open Wheel World):

"I think my podium in Milwaukee is the only reason I’m here, to be honest. It’s a results-driven industry. We showed speed in a lot of other places too, but even that tenth-place finish in Nashville—which I thought was one of our best races in a long time—we qualified sixth and finished tenth. That’s not really what matters.

“You have to win trophies. You have to be at the front. You have to do things that make people look at you again—and maybe even a third time. This year, we want to approach every weekend with the goal of fighting for the podium."

In the three races held so far, Conor Daly has had a best result of 16th, which he achieved at Thermal Club. He would be looking to build upon his strong results with the team last year and break into the top-10 soon.