Hunter-Reay, 42, will drive the #20 ECR-Chevrolet entry in place of Daly, who lost his ride after the first seven races of 2023 as the team sought a change of direction and improved results.
Hunter-Reay’s only IndyCar start in the past two seasons was at May’s Indianapolis 500, where he finished 11th in a one-off for Dreyer and Reinbold.
But he has remained in the paddock as an advisor to the Juncos Hollinger Racing squad and was on-call to replace Alex Palou at Chip Ganassi Racing if the legal battle over his services with McLaren had escalated last year.
The 2012 series champion and 2014 Indy 500 winner will make his full-time return with ECR from Road America this weekend.
“Bottom line is [it’s a] tough situation, especially mid-season, and I feel for Conor,” said Hunter-Reay. “I've been on either end of that deal, and in some cases numerous times.
“Big fan of his, and hopefully he'll be back in the IndyCar Series soon where he belongs no doubt.
“This sport is brutal. My career has been a journey. I have been on every different end of it, whether it's at Indy being bumped in, bumped out, on the front row [or] winning the race.
“The whole thing has just been a journey from team to team to team, like I said, having been on either side of it.”
Source: Autosport