Indy 500 driver admits peeing in car and racing entire 200 laps sitting in own piss

Time of India

6 days ago

Conor Daly had more than just race strategy to contend with at Sunday's 109th Indianapolis 500, he had a full bladder and no way out. The 33-year-old driver from Indiana revealed during Monday's Indy 500 Victory Banquet that he was forced to urinate in his car before the race even began, due to a rain delay that left drivers stranded on the grid for nearly 45 minutes.
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'Never in my life have I urinated in my car until Sunday,' Daly said. 'I was sitting on the grid, and I was like, 'This is the best car I've ever been in in my whole life. I'm gonna have to pee in this thing.' I kid you not.'
With the weather holding things up and no chance to exit the vehicle, Daly said he couldn't hold it anymore:
'I had to go really bad. I legitimately urinated in my racecar before the race even started.'
Despite the awkward start, Daly still put in an impressive performance.
Driving for Juncos Hollinger Racing, he started 11th, led 13 laps between laps 120 and 133, and ultimately finished eighth after two drivers ahead of him, Marcus Ericsson and Kyle Kirkwood, were disqualified following post-race technical inspection failures.
But Daly said the experience was as uncomfortable as it was embarrassing.
'I literally did the whole race sitting in my pee,' he admitted, adding that the decision was born purely out of necessity.
He later joked about the cause, when asked if it was due to excitement or health concerns, Daly responded: "I had to go really bad. I don't know if it was the diabetes or I'm just getting really old. Helio (Castroneves) should know. He's halfway to 100. I don't know if that happens to him a lot."
The candid confession drew laughter from the banquet crowd, but Daly made clear it wasn't an easy moment for him:
'It was an embarrassing moment.
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I didn't think I'd have to get there.'
He also referenced a similar moment experienced by fellow IndyCar driver James Hinchcliffe years earlier:
'Hinchcliffe told me about that once but, anyway, now you guys all know.'
At the start of his speech, Daly acknowledged the buzz his bathroom incident had generated and offered appreciation to the crew that had to handle the aftermath.
'I want to thank my mechanics specifically, because there's been a lot of talk tonight and I saw on the internet as well, a lot of toilet talk and maybe some using of the bathroom,' he said.
'We had to wait a long time before the race.'
He then revealed:
'I came clean with them after the race.'
By the end of his speech, he returned to that gratitude, once again saluting his team for managing an unusual situation with professionalism.
Though Daly initially crossed the finish line in 10th, he was later moved up to 8th place after Marcus Ericsson and Kyle Kirkwood were penalized when their cars failed post-race technical inspection, as reported by the Indianapolis Star.
Meanwhile, Alex Palou captured his first-ever Indy 500 victory, while Daly's performance, despite the uncomfortable circumstances, was one of the strongest showings for Juncos Hollinger Racing this season.