The long-rumored split between Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing and its beleaguered driver Jack Harvey has been confirmed. Harvey, who joined RLL in its expanded third entry in 2022, will not contest the final three races of the season as RLL both evaluates new talent and does its best to earn one of the lucrative Leaders Circle contracts with the No. 30 Honda formerly driven by the Briton.
Conor Daly will pilot the car at the 1.25-mile World Wide Technology Raceway oval, and while only Daly has been named, RACER understands Toby Sowery and Juri Vips are strong contenders to make appearances at Portland and Monterey.
pic.twitter.com/QT0qAcEzFi
— 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 RLL co-owner 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.”
For Daly, an oval specialist, a solid run at WWTR could pull the No. 30 Honda, which sits 23rd in Entrants’ points, into the top 22 where the $910,000 Leaders Circle contracts are offered by the series.
“It means a lot to have a chance to drive for the Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing team,” Daly said. “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.”