Conor Daly Will Start 21st, VeeKay Qualified 24th for Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach

(LONG BEACH, Calif.) September 25, 2021 – Qualifying Notes

– Only one race remains in the 2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season: the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. Tomorrow, Rinus VeeKay and Conor Daly will conclude their seasons in the oceanfront streets of the southern California city. With qualifications complete, VeeKay will start 24th and Daly will start 21st.

– Two 45-minute practice sessions proceeded this afternoon’s qualifications. VeeKay managed 40 practice laps – his first laps ever in the streets of Long Beach. As the Road to Indy does not currently compete at Long Beach, and with the 2020 edition being cancelled due to the to the COVID-19 pandemic, tomorrow will be his first Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. Daly, who has not raced at Long Beach since 2017, made 38 circuits while reacquainting himself with the track.

– Qualifying was split into two groups, determined via practice times from this morning’s session. Daly was assigned to Group 1 and VeeKay to Group 2. Both had 10 minutes to set a fast lap with the goal of advancing to the Round 2. At the end of their sessions, both were not among the fastest six cars. Daly was 11th in Group 1 and VeeKay was 12th in Group 2.

– Race day will begin with a 30-minute warm up-session in the morning, taking place at 9 a.m. PT and streamed live on NBC’s Peacock Premium. The 2021 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach will be broadcast live on NBC Sports Network beginning at 12 p.m. PT (3 p.m. ET) on Sunday, September 26.

CONOR DALY, No. 20 U.S. Air Force Chevrolet, Qualified 21st: “Not having been here for a while and not having been here as a team together has presented some challenges for us. We’ve made some progress overall, but these practices go by so quickly. We’re going to throw some things at it tomorrow, which is the great thing about having a warm-up. It’s such competitive field and we want to make sure we are competitive in the race!”

RINUS VEEKAY, No. 21 SONAX Chevrolet, Qualified 24th: “I was actually quite happy with the car we had after Practice 2. We had made good improvements, but in qualifying, we struggled to get the grip we needed. Very unfortunate, but I like passing and I like street courses – this should be helpful for tomorrow! I am looking forward to the race, we have some new ideas and things to try. Hopefully it’s a good day!”