As a native of suburban Indianapolis, second-generation racer Conor Daly has spent most of his life wondering what it's like to race in the Indianapolis 500.

This May, the 21-year-old will be seeing the race from the cockpit of an IZOD IndyCar Series car.

Daly, son of former Formula 1 and Indy car driver Derek Daly, will drive A.J. Foyt Racing's No. 41 ABC Supply Honda in this year's Indianapolis 500, joining Takuma Sato who drives the No. 14 ABC Supply Honda in the IZOD IndyCar Series.

"I almost can't describe what it means to have the opportunity to race in the Indianapolis 500," said Daly, of Noblesville, Ind. "I am so thankful that A.J. and (team director) Larry (Foyt) have given me my first shot at the greatest race in the world. I know this will sound cheesy but I've never been happier in my life; this race means so much to me."

Daly tested with the team in mid-December (two days before his 21st birthday) at Sebring International Raceway (pictured, below). He competed the past two seasons in the European-based GP3 series, and has won in nearly every formula -- Firestone Indy Lights, GP3, Star Mazda and Skip Barber -- he's competed. He won national titles in the Star Mazda (2010) and Skip Barber (2008) series. Daly made his GP2 debut March 22-24 at Sepang International circuit in Malaysia with seventh- and 13th-place finishes.

"He ran well at Sebring when we needed someone to do some testing in the offseason," said A.J. Foyt, the first four-time Indianapolis 500 champion (pictured above, left). "He was fast, smooth, and didn't get in trouble. When we made a change on the car he felt it. I found him to be very savvy on the chassis setups. In fact, when we made a minor change which was really nothing, he thought about it and said it felt no different. I told him that was the right answer because we didn't do anything he'd be able to feel, so that impressed me, too.

"I've run a lot of rookies at Indy and I think Conor will do a good job for us."

Wade Cunningham, the 2005 Firestone Indy Lights champion, was the most recent Indy 500 rookie with Foyt's team (starting 26th and finishing 31st because of an electrical issue in 2012). A.J. Foyt Racing last won the Indianapolis 500 in 1999 with Kenny Brack behind the wheel.

Daly will be the fourth driver scheduled to participate in the Rookie Orientation Program on April 11 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Candidates must complete two of the three phases of car control, placement and consistent driving on the 2.5-mile oval (10 laps at 200-205 mph, 15 laps at 205-209 mph and 15 laps at 210-plus mph) during the day. Drivers may complete the third phase during the first week of practice.

A.J. Allmendinger (Team Penske), Tristan Vautier (Schmidt Peterson Motorsports) and Carlos Munoz (Andretti Autosport) also are scheduled to participate in the program led by IZOD IndyCar Series driver stewards Arie Luyendyk and Johnny Unser.

Opening Day is May 11, Pole Day is May 18 and Race Day is May 26.

"I'm excited about bringing Conor to Indy for his first race at the 500," Larry Foyt said. "I've been watching him come up through the open-wheel ranks, and when we met at the F-1 race in Austin, Texas, last year, we hit it off immediately. Doing the test at Sebring confirmed he could make the step up to an IndyCar. With my dad's guidance, the potential is there for a great month of May."

Photography by IMS Photo