INDIANAPOLIS – A former Indianapolis 500 champion will join Ed Carpenter Racing.

A day after parting ways with Conor Daly, the racing team announced 2014 Indy 500 winner Ryan Hunter-Reay will drive the No. 20 Bitnile.com car.

Hunter-Reay will debut for ECR on June 16 in the Sonsio Grand Prix at Road America.

“I was surprised when I got the call from [team owner] Ed [Carpenter]. 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 in a statement. “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 BITNILE.COM.”

Hunter-Reay acknowledged a “great challenge” was ahead as he joins a new racing team in the middle of the competitive IndyCar season.

The NTT IndyCar Series champion in 2012, Hunter-Reay has 18 career wins. He competed in the 2023 Indianapolis 500, finishing 11th for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing.

Team owner Ed Carpenter said Hunter-Reay brings a “massive amount of experience” the team.

“We have worked together in the past as teammates and he tested for ECR at Barber Motorsports Park in October 2021, where he made an immediate impact as we were able to qualify one of our cars on the pole following that test,” Carpenter said. “I am confident that his experience and technical abilities will be an asset to ECR as we move forward toward our goals as a team.”

Hunter-Reay joins Rinus VeeKay as the primary drivers for ECR. Carpenter will join as the team’s third car in oval events.

He replaces Conor Daly in the No. 20 car. Daly, a Noblesville native, raced for parts of the last four IndyCar seasons for ECR. He’d been a full-time driver with the team for a season and a half.

Daly finished eighth in last month’s Indianapolis 500 and was 20th in IndyCar points standings. He and ECR announced their decision to part ways on Wednesday.