Clown? Backmarker? Santino Ferrucci And Conor Daly Not Mincing Words

DES MOINES, Iowa — What is worse: being called a "clown" or a "backmarker?"

In the latest rejuvenated INDYCAR beef, Conor Daly and Santino Ferrucci are throwing shade on their long-running history of not exactly seeing eye to eye on things. 

To make things even better, both could be in contention for their first career INDYCAR victory on Saturday and/or Sunday in the Iowa Speedway doubleheader weekend.

"I just got caught up messing with a backmarker," Ferrucci told me Thursday about his tangle with Daly in the race last Sunday at Mid-Ohio. "We would have finished inside the top 10. I’m mad at myself."

For context, a backmarker is a driver who regularly races in the back of the field rather than among the leaders in the front.

Their battle at Mid-Ohio ended up with INDYCAR penalizing Ferrucci three positions and with Daly in the grass.

Daly remarked on his "Speed Street" podcast this week that the post on social media calling Ferrucci a "clown" was his most-liked ever.

"The lack of respect that Santino actually has for the effort that goes into this type of racing," Daly said on the podcast, "to throw it away purely because he either doesn’t care or doesn’t know what’s going on or doesn’t like me?" 

"I don’t care that he doesn’t like me," Daly added. "I don’t like him. ... Santino has actually raced somewhat intelligently this year on occasions. And I thought we were actually on a little bit better of a spot."

Conor Daly looks on during qualifying for the NTT IndyCar Series Bommarito Automotive Group 500

The move surprised Daly because it cost Ferrucci spots for himself, calling the move "childish."

"I’d already gotten ahead of Santino’s nose and I’m like, ‘OK it will be really hard for him to run me off the track unless