Scrappy success in Indy qualifying for Juncos Hollinger Racing

Conor Daly’s late run on Saturday to improve from 21st to 13th was a joyous occasion for his Juncos Hollinger Racing team. Performing in front of his home crowd, the Indiana native was serenaded with cheers as he fired the No. 76 Chevy to an average speed of 231.725mph. More remarkable was how close Daly and JHR came to making the Fast 12 qualifying session which offers a chance to run for pole position on Sunday; he came up 0.085mph shy of transferring.

The outfit owned by Ricardo Juncos and Brad Hollinger has made a significant year-over-year improvement at the Indianapolis 500. After its former drivers qualified 27th and 28th in 2023, and 22nd and 28th in 2024, being so close to the Fast 12 is an indicator of JHR’s overall progress. And while Daly’s speed received the most attention, the real marker of the squad’s growth was found with his unheralded teammate Sting Ray Robb.

The Idahoan, who’d never started higher than 23rd, broke into the teens in 19th and wasn’t far behind Daly with a four-lap average of 231.461mph, cementing JHR’s best combined qualifying results at the Speedway since it debuted in 2017. In a sport where smaller, midfield teams are searching for small victories, the scrappy group led by team principal Dave O’Neill – who joined from the Formula 1 paddock 15 months ago – made for a great story on Day 1 of time trials.

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Sting Ray Robb and the team behind him had a lot to take pride in on Saturday. John Cote/IMS Photo

“I stand and stare at Penske’s garage because they're opposite us, and we don't have everything they do, but it's not for the lack of effort with the staff we have,” O’Neill told RACER. “We’ve got a fantastic bunch of people, mechanics, engineers, everyone. But what we have to do is be a little bit better all the time. It's all fractions. Just keep dialing it in, fraction by fraction, and we'll get there. You know, you need these kind of results to move the team forward as well. It really does help.”

It's one thing to have belief in your abilities. Adding results is where the belief turns into an accepted reality, and among JHR’s drivers, O’Neill is seeing Daly and Robb as key figures in motivating the team with their on-track efforts and the building of a close-knit culture within the group.

“There's so much build-up to what we’re seeing,” he said. “Going to Sting Ray’s qualifying, it’s absolutely fantastic. Not only that, but both of those drivers have worked tirelessly over the last weeks, helping each other 100 percent, and they’ve developed such a positive vibe in the team, which for me, is fantastic.”