Rahal Letterman Lanigan will use the last three races of the season to evaluate drivers for next season, as Jack Harvey leaves the team and Conor Daly comes in for the next race at Gateway.
Harvey joined Rahal Letterman Lanigan from Meyer Shank Racing for 2022, but has regularly been the worst-performing driver on the Rahal team finishing 22nd in 2022. He lies in the same position now, almost 100 points behind the team’s next driver Graham Rahal.
Harvey says he is “more motivated than ever” to find a new IndyCar team and said “we are not defined by our failures but rather how we respond to them”.
RLL’s team boss Bobby Rahal and the other drivers in the team, Graham Rahal and Christian Lundgaard, have regularly praised Harvey’s commitment and what he brought to the team as a previous podium finisher in the series, but his time with the team has run out.
— Jack Harvey (@jack_harvey93) August 15, 2023
“First, I would like to thank Jack Harvey for all of his efforts on behalf of RLL for the last year and a half,” said Bobby Rahal.
“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 left a two-year deal at Ed Carpenter Racing early after seven races this season, at which point he was 20th in the standings with a best finish of eighth.
He’s since replaced the injured Simon Pagenaud at Meyer Shank where he finished 20th at Mid-Ohio and then 21st and 17th in a double-header at Iowa.
Despite his frequent starts Daly doesn’t have many full IndyCar seasons under his belt and Rahal was one of the few remaining teams he hasn’t raced for, alongside Penske and Ganassi.
“It means a lot to have a chance to drive for the Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing team,” said Daly.
“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 organization.
“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 favorite tracks at World Wide Technology Raceway.”
Daly has a best start of 11th and a best finish of fifth at Gateway, both coming at his first attempt in his maiden outing there in 2017.
Rahal will also have Portland and Laguna Seca to evaluate drivers.
Earlier this year it tested Linus Lundqvist, who has emerged as a major player for a full-time seat next year off the back of two stand-out performances replacing Pagenaud at Meyer Shank.
Ex-Red Bull junior Juri Vips and Indy Lights regular Toby Sowery have also tested with the squad this year, and Rahal has not been scared to bring in drivers from outside the series like Formula E champion Antonio Felix da Costa for a test.
There is some trepidation associated with whoever Rahal puts in the #30 car because it’s crucial that the car score good results.
Full-time entries in the IndyCar Series sign up to something called the ‘Leaders Circle’ each year which awards just under $1 million to the top 22 eligible entries, a significant sum for an IndyCar team.
The ‘Leaders Circle’ is a contractual agreement between teams and IndyCar and therefore details are sparse, but RLL’s #30 car appears to be just outside the top 22 with only a handful of points separating multiple entries in the fight.
Keyword: Rahal drops Harvey in-season for 2024 IndyCar candidates