Conor Daly will roll off pit road at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Indianapolis 500 with the obvious goal in mind – win the race and cement himself in racing lore for the rest of time.

A victory will do more than just make him a part of Indy 500 history forever; he will become a folk hero for his native Indiana, which is itching to see a lengthy drought end.

It has been 85 years since an Indiana-born race car driver won the illustrious race. Daly will be driving the No. 76 ampm-sponsored Chevrolet with Wilbur Shaw on his mind, almost literally. Shaw won three Indy 500 races, but no one from Indiana has won it since 1940.

He will be wearing a helmet that honors the legendary driver on Sunday.

“It’s crazy, 85 years since the last Indy 500 winner from Indiana. That just seems wrong. It just seems sad. So we’ve got to change that,” Daly, who was born in Noblesville, told Fox News Digital. “It was just a cool idea that I came up with my helmet painter. 

“I try to come up with something unique every year for the Indy 500 helmet because it’s just a special event, and we put a couple old picture of his car from back in the day – 1940 was the last winner, which is crazy. Put the 1940 ticket on top of the helmet as well with a couple of little small details.”

Daly qualified 11th for the race and is set to start in between Scott McLaughlin and Alexander Rossi, who have both won the race in the past.

He touted how fast the car has been for him. His average speed during qualifying was around 231 mph.

Juncos Hollinger Racing driver Conor Daly, #76, sits on the wall on Monday, May 19, 2025 after practice for the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis on May 19, 2025. (Grace Hollars-USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

INDYCAR DRIVER CONOR DALY GOES RACING WITH AMPM FOR THE INDY 500

“I feel really good,” he said. “This is one of the best cars I’ve had in my IndyCar career here, and I know that’s a bold statement to say, but it’s truly been a pleasure to drive all week. I’ve equaled my best starting position with 11th. We’re right alongside the pole-sitter from last year, Scott McLaughlin. We’re in the fight. … This car is just flat out fast and that’s really, really special.”

He called driving at such a high rate of speed “truly crazy.”

“I don’t know why you wouldn’t watch what we’re doing here because it truly is crazy,” he explained. “We’re at that level where cars are flying through the air, crashing at a high level, because we are putting these things on the absolute ragged edge of control and that’s what it takes to win the biggest race out there.

“It’s the biggest race that there is across motorsports. Some people like to argue that but physically, if you ask any racing drivers who have been around the sport for a long time, the Indy 500, that’s the big one. It’s crazy and what we’re doing out there is wild.”

Daly said winning the Indy 500 would be a realization of all the hard work he has put in throughout his entire career. 

“It’s why I wake up every morning,” the Juncos Hollinger Racing driver told Fox News Digital.

Most importantly, he already has the milk picked out that he will chug should he be able to.

Juncos Hollinger Racing driver Conor Daly, #76, makes his way out of turn one on Monday, May 19, 2025 during practice for the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis. (Mykal McEldowney-USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

“I’ve gone whole milk the last few years, but I haven’t won yet,” he said. “So, I decided to switch it up. We’re gonna go 2% because why not? Let’s pick something different and maybe that’ll get us the win.”

The Indy 500 will be broadcast May 25 on FOX with coverage starting at 10 a.m. ET. It will also be available to stream live on FOXSports.com and the FOX Sports app.

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NFL owners have decided to keep the “Tush Push,” the signature short-yardage play of the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, after a vote Wednesday at their spring meeting in Eagan, Minnesota.

Multiple media outlets are reporting that the vote was 22-10 in favor of the ban, falling short of the 24 votes it needed to go into effect. The teams that are said to have joined the Eagles in voting against the proposal were the Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints, New York Jets and Tennessee Titans.

The “Tush Push” is a version of a quarterback sneak in which two or three players line up behind the signal caller and help drive him forward in short-yardage situations.

The Eagles — who also call the play the “Brotherly Shove” — have been nearly flawless in executing the push since 2022, with two-time Pro Bowl quarterback Jalen Hurts carrying the ball. During that span, ESPN reports, the Eagles and Buffalo Bills have run the play more than the rest of the NFL combined, with a far greater success rate (87% for Philadelphia and Buffalo compared to 71% for the rest of the league).

Also during the past three seasons, the Eagles have scored 27 touchdowns and recorded 92 first downs using the play, according to ESPN.

A proposal by the Green Bay Packers to ban the play was tabled at the NFL’s annual league meeting in April. The Packers submitted a revision this week to prohibit “an offensive player from pushing, pulling, lifting or assisting the runner except by individually blocking opponents for him.”

The initial proposal had called for those restrictions only to be in effect “immediately at the snap.”

After the results of the vote came out, the Eagles posted a graphic on X showing Hurts and the Philadelphia offense lining up against the Packers defense, with the caption, “Push on.” The Eagles also posted a 26-minute video of “Tush Push” highlights on YouTube.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell told reporters he did not take a stance on the proposal.

The proposal cited “player safety” and “pace of play” as reasons for the ban, although many opponents of the play seem to focus on the former argument. The NFL has no conclusive data that shows a link between the push and an increased injury risk.

Others have questioned the play’s place in football, suggesting it is more of a rugby move, and that its perceived automatic nature, at least when the Eagles run it, is bad for the game.

Eagles coach Nick Sirianni defended his team’s use of the play while speaking with reporters in February.

“We work really, really hard, and our guys are talented at this play. And so it’s a little insulting to say just because we’re good at it, it’s automatic,” he said.

“The fact that it’s a successful play for the Eagles and people want to take that away, I think it’s a little unfair.”

Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie and retired Philadelphia center Jason Kelce addressed the team owners Wednesday before the vote. Kelce had explained on the most recent episode on his and brother Travis Kelce‘s “New Heights” podcast that he was going to Minneapolis “to answer any questions people have” about the safety of the play.

“I’m just going to offer, if anybody has any questions about the tush push, or whether I retired because of the tush push, I’ll tell you, I’ll come out of retirement today if you tell me, ‘All you gotta do is run 80 tush pushes to play in the NFL,’” Kelce said. “I’ll do that gladly. It’ll be the easiest job in the world.”

The NFL owners are expected to reengage in talks about the polarizing tush push on Wednesday at league meetings.

Last month, owners tabled the vote on a proposal to ban the play that became the Philadelphia Eagles’ calling card over the past couple of seasons. As the vote nears, some prominent Philadelphia Eagles spoke out about the controversial short yardage play.

“I don’t have any thoughts on it,” Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown said. “It’s only one yard.” 

Offensive lineman Jordan Mailata echoed similar sentiments, saying: “They’re ruling [on] the push? I guess we’ll just do it with no push.

“In terms of them banning the tush push, I hate that name, so I hope they do ban it — it’s a stupid name,” the All-Pro tackle joked.

COMMANDERS’ FRANKIE LUVU CHIMES IN ON ‘CHEAPO’ PUSH AS NFL TEAM OWNERS WEIGH BAN

“But I can’t control it. We can’t control it. So, we don’t even worry about it. Right now, we’re just installing our schemes, whatever [offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo] is installing that day, that’s what we’re focused on because worrying about if they’re going to ban the tush push or not ain’t going to win us a championship.”

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) lines up for the tush push play on the goal line against the Kansas City Chiefs during Super Bowl LIX at Ceasars Superdome. (Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images)

.The Green Bay Packers submitted a proposal to ban the tush push.  

“We’ll see where that goes,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said. “We’re not waiting very long to figure it out. It’s going to be public [Wednesday]. And you know how I feel about it.”

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) scores on the tush push during a game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Philadelphia Eagles on Dec. 3, 2023.  (Andy Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

At last month’s league meetings, Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie described the tush push as “precision play” and credited quarterback Jalen Hurts for helping make the play routinely successful. 

ESPN reported that the tush push was utilized in just 0.28% of total plays last season.

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