Source: Team PR

19th: RINUS VEEKAY 01:07.8796 (104.373 mph)

27th: CONOR DALY  01:07.6986 (104.652 mph)

TRACK: Streets of Long Beach

LOCATION: Long Beach, California, USA

TRACK LAYOUT: 1.968-mile, 11-turn temporary street circuit

RACE LENGTH: 85 Laps

BROADCAST: Sunday – 12:45 p.m. PT (NBC, 12 p.m. PT)

CONOR DALY, No. 20 BITNILE.COM Chevrolet, Qualified 27th: “We did not have the speed at all today. There’s no way around it. Not really sure why both Rinus (VeeKay) and I are struggling, but we really need to make an improvement for tomorrow and just make some magic happen. Hopefully, we can take a big step forward at some point coming up soon on the schedule but for now it has been tough.”

OF NOTE:

• Conor Daly was assigned to Round 1, Group 2 of qualifying. The No. 20 BITNILE.COM Chevrolet began qualifications on a new set of Firestone’s alternate green Firehawk tires. After turning three laps, he came in for a second set of sticker greens. Though he worked continually to improve his time through the session, he was not able to move up the timing sheets. He finished 14th in the group, which equates to the 27th starting position in tomorrow’s Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. 

• Daly has competed in five NTT INDYCAR SERIES events in the streets of Long Beach, earning his highest finish to date last year with a 12th place result. Daly, who competed in the Road to Indy, won the 2011 Indy Lights event in Long Beach.

• The Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach will be the home to a career milestone for Daly as he makes his 100th NTT INDYCAR SERIES start tomorrow. Daly is in his tenth season as an NTT INDYCAR SERIES driver and fourth with Ed Carpenter Racing, currently driving the No. 20 BITNILE.COM Chevrolet. Next month, he will compete in his 10th Indianapolis 500. 

RINUS VEEKAY, No. 21 BITNILE.COM Chevrolet, Qualified 19th: “That was a really tough qualifying session, really it has been a difficult weekend so far. I expected that we would be better and would be starting higher up tomorrow. We will analyze everything and work to get better for the race, that is where it counts!”

OF NOTE:

• In this afternoon’s qualifying session, Rinus VeeKay was only able to turn one lap on alternate green Firestone Firehawks before a red flag flew. Switching to a second set of sticker greens, he completed three more laps. His fastest lap of 01:07.8796 had the No. 21 BITNILE.COMChevrolet sitting 10th at the checkered flag. He did not advance to the second round of qualifying and will start 19th in tomorrow’s Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. 

• Last year in the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, VeeKay’s No. 21 was involved in two separate incidents. Damage to the car was minimal and he was able to continue, but passing opportunities were limited. A late-race pit stop for sticker tires enabled VeeKay to pass three cars in four laps. He earned a 13th place finish, the best of his two Long Beach starts. 

• Rinus VeeKay remains ECR’s longest-tenured full-time driver, now in his fourth season behind the wheel the No. 21 BITNILE.COM Chevrolet. The 22-year-old has spent his entire NTT INDYCAR SERIES career with ECR and will make his 50th start at the end of the month at Barber Motorsports Park.