Josef Newgarden is recovering at his Nashville home after his release from an overnight stay at MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center. The two-time IndyCar Series champion sustained a fall in the motor coach lot at Iowa Speedway after his crash in Sunday’s Hy-Vee Salute to Farmers 300.
Newgarden will be re-evaluated by IndyCar medical staff on Thursday ahead of the upcoming Gallagher Grand Prix. As a precaution, Team Penske announced that Santino Ferrucci will be on standby duty if Newgarden is not cleared to race in Saturday’s race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.
The No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet was leading the second of two races in the Iowa Speedway doubleheader when a suspected rear suspension failure caused Newgarden’s car to spin and hit the Turn 4 wall. The 2011 Indy Lights champion gingerly stepped out of his machine and was checked and released from the medical center following the accident.
After dominating all day long, Josef Newgarden is OUT of the race.
Take a look at what happened to Saturday's race winner at Iowa. #INDYCAR
? : @nbc and @peacockTV pic.twitter.com/xuqmNAjJVr
— INDYCAR on NBC (@IndyCaronNBC) July 24, 2022
Newgarden didn’t know what happened since the car snapped around so fast before hitting the wall with the left rear corner.
"I want to cry."
Josef Newgarden was in position to take the championship lead, but won't after crashing on Lap 236 at @iowaspeedway. #INDYCAR
? : @nbc and @peacockTV pic.twitter.com/NpRnCzctBK
— INDYCAR on NBC (@IndyCaronNBC) July 24, 2022
After the race, Newgarden sustained a fall in the motor coach lot, suffering an abrasion on the back of his head after hitting it. The IndyCar medical staff airlifted Newgarden to the hospital out of precaution.
Ferrucci finished 10th in this year’s Indianapolis 500 and also was a substitute driver for Juncos Hollinger Racing at the next IndyCar race in Detroit after regular driver Callum Ilott was sidelined with a hand injury sustained during a crash in the Indianapolis 500. Ferrucci also substituted for Jack Harvey at Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing at Texas Motor Speedway when the British racer was not medically cleared to race in the XPEL 375 back in March. Ferrucci finished ninth in that race.
The Connecticut native has four top-five finishes in his IndyCar career, all of them being fourth place finishes on ovals. His best IndyCar road/street course finish is sixth place at both Road America races in 2020 and at Detroit in 2021.
Ferrucci will also race the Sam Hunt Racing Toyota in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course on Saturday.
— Sam Hunt Racing (@Team_SHR26) July 25, 2022
