Final Practice at Road America Coming Up This Afternoon

(ELKHART LAKE, Wis.) June 19, 2021 – Qualifying Notes

– Qualifying is complete at Road America and the Ed Carpenter Racing teammates will start next to each other in the REV Group Grand Prix. Conor Daly and Oliver Askew will fill out Row 8 on the starting grid at the historic road course. Daly will start 15th in tomorrow’s race while Askew starts 16th.

– Tuesday night, ECR announced that Askew would step into the No. 21 this weekend as Rinus VeeKay is not yet medically cleared to resume competition. VeeKay underwent successful outpatient surgery Tuesday afternoon to repair a fractured left clavicle. He sustained the injury Monday on a cycling trail during a training ride and has been under the care of INDYCAR’s medical staff.

– Askew climbed into ECR’s No. 21 Chevrolet for the first time yesterday afternoon. He finished 9th in his first session with the team and backed that up by turning the 5th-fastest lap this morning. Daly and the No. 20 U.S. Air Force Chevrolet worked hard during both sessions, finishing 12th in Practice 2. With an even numbered finishing position in the second practice, Daly was assigned to Group 1 for qualifying while Askew was placed in Group 2 with the odd-numbered positions.

– As the Road America track is four miles long, Round 1 was extended from the usual 10 minutes per group to 12 minutes. Both Daly and Askew were bumped down following the checkered flags in their sessions and finished 8th in their groups. As only the fastest six cars advance, Daly will start 15th and Askew will start 16th in tomorrow’s REV Group Grand Prix.

– This weekend, the No. 21 Chevrolet will showcase the blue and white colors of longtime ECR partner Direct Supply. Headquartered in nearby Milwaukee, Direct Supply is committed to enhancing the lives of seniors and those who care for them. Since 1985, the company has helped Senior Living providers create amazing environments, improve care and outcomes, optimize building operations, streamline procurement and more. Direct Supply has been featured on the No. 21 Chevrolet at Road America since the NTT INDYCAR SERIES returned to the track in 2016.

– Daly and Askew will have one more 30-minute session this afternoon, taking place from 4:30-5 p.m. CT. It will serve as the final practice and take the place of the traditional morning warm-up. The 55-lap race will be broadcast live on NBC Sports Network, with coverage starting at 11 a.m. CT on Sunday, June 20.

CONOR DALY, No. 20 U.S. Air Force Chevrolet, Qualified 15th: “We missed transferring by about seven hundredths of a second, maybe less! Qualifying is so close in this series. I also made a small mistake, which is a shame. It’s been a challenge for me for sure. We still have some work to do with the car, but I have faith in these guys that we’ll be able to work through the warm-up this afternoon and have something really strong for the race tomorrow.”

OLIVER ASKEW, No. 21 Direct Supply Chevrolet, Qualified 16th: “It’s super tight in INDYCAR right now and we just missed it by a couple of tenths! Unfortunately, we didn’t make it past the first round of qualifying, but the No. 21 Direct Supply Ed Carpenter Racing machine feels really good. We’re going to keep working on the race car this afternoon in the warm-up and make it even better. It’s a long race tomorrow and a lot can happen, we may get creative on strategy. We’ll make it happen!”