Ed Carpenter Racing tabs Ryan Hunter-Reay to replace Conor Daly, will make debut next weekend

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Ryan Hunter-Reay will return to the IndyCar Series as Conor Daly's replacement at Ed Carpenter Racing, the team announced Thursday.

Daly was let go a day earlier in what team owner Carpenter called one of the most difficult decisions of his tenure running the organization. He cited performance issues for the split with Daly, who was ranked 20th in the standings with a season-best finish of eighth in the Indianapolis 500.

Hunter-Reay was out of IndyCar last season but returned this year for the Indy 500 and finished 11th. He will make his debut in the No. 20 Chevrolet next weekend at Road America.

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Ryan Hunter-Reay #1 reacts to the crowd prior to the SRX qualifying race at Sharon Speedway on July 23, 2022 in Hartford, Ohio.  (Photo by Jason Miller/SRX/Getty Images)

"I was surprised when I got the call from Ed. He described how frustrated he was that his team has not been able to realize its potential despite their efforts, investments, as well as technical and personnel changes over the past few years and asked for my help," Hunter-Reay said. "Ed and I are very close friends and have been for a long time. I’ve worked with the team in the past and they are a very talented group with high expectations and a committed partner in (sponsor) Bitnile.com."

Bitnile, by the way, was a sponsor that Daly brought to the team ahead of the 2022 season that funded his full-time ride.

Hunter-Reay, meanwhile, had tested for ECR at the end of 2021 when Carpenter was unsure if Daly would find the funding to continue with the team. Hunter-Reay had lost his longtime ride at Andretti Autosport and was