The veteran IndyCar driver spent the day racing kids from all over central Indiana to show them anything is possible.
INDIANAPOLIS – Conor Daly of Noblesville will start in row 7 of the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday. On Tuesday, Daly turned some hot laps on a smaller track.
The IndyCar driver with the mullet under his helmet was on pole position at Fastimes Indoor Karting. Daly led several runs by racers with type 1 diabetes, which he was first diagnosed with when he was 14. Daly is now 29 years old and is about to launch his eighth Indy 500.
“This is where I started, in a go-kart, and you never know what will happen next,” said Daly. “But I hope everyone is having fun. I’ve never seen anyone frown before.”
Eleven-year-old Treyton Spurgeon, a fifth grader from Martinsville, stepped off his go-kart and took off his helmet to show a big grin, despite being lapped by the pro.
“He passed me twice,” Spurgeon said. “I tried to overtake him but I couldn’t.”
Daly invited about 20 children, who share his health, to Fastimes Indoor Karting for a hot couple of laps and for encouragement.
“He has diabetes while driving,” said Spurgeon. “He’s figuring out how to keep his blood sugar high so it doesn’t get too low while racing while driving.”
“I’m still dealing with the day-to-day difficulties any other child with diabetes would have,” said Daly. “That’s why it’s always important for me to convey this message like, ‘Hey, you can do whatever you want.’ It takes a little work, but you can do what you want. “
“This is really important because all the time people say, ‘Can you do this? Can you have this?’ I can have everything, just like normal, ”said 15-year-old Molly McCurdy, who has just finished her year at Plainfield High School.
McCurdy has a license to study, not yet a driver’s license, but she is a quick learner. McCurdy qualified for the winning run and turned the third fastest lap of the session.
“I think it’s kind of a community feeling,” McCurdy said. “As if I don’t see any type 1 diabetics at my school, it’s fun that we’re getting someone out of here to collect all of the diabetic children.”
