ELKHART LAKE, WI – After winning the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 with a left foot injury two weeks ago, Josef Newgarden is back at a course where braking — which is a rarity on ovals — is a necessity with a driver’s left foot. Newgarden enters the Grand Prix at Road America hoping to get to and through the race, but that’s no certainty.
Fox’s broadcast of Friday’s practice session at the 4.014-mile road course reported that Newgarden got surgery last week between races, to which the Team Penske driver responded, “Who told you that?” Newgarden would not confirm whether it was true after the session and a Team Penske spokesperson said Newgarden is “still progressing” in his recovery.
If Newgarden can’t get through the full weekend, which still has a practice and qualifying session Saturday plus the race and its warmup on Sunday, Porsche Penske Motorsport IMSA driver Felipe Nasr would take his place in the No. 2 Chevrolet. Nasr was on standby for Newgarden three weeks ago at the Detroit Grand Prix, and he stood outside the No. 2 pit box with a firesuit halfway zipped up and racing boots on.
“As a team member, I’ve got to be ready,” Nasr told Fox. “… And I’m here to support the team and help them as much as they need me.”
Nasr does routine IndyCar tests for Team Penske despite never entering a race. He was scheduled to race for the now-defunct Carlin Motorsport in 2020 before COVID-19 postponed the start of the season and led to Nasr not joining the team in IndyCar.
Nasr has experience at Road America, where IMSA races are held annually. The Brazilian has twice won at Road America, albeit in two-seater sportscars as opposed to IndyCar’s single-seater open-wheel cars. Nasr did work on IndyCar’s iRacing simulator for Road America this week.
Should Newgarden not race this weekend, Team Penske would likely want to get Nasr some time on track ahead of time. With Newgarden’s status still unclear, Nasr could pilot the No. 2 car on Saturday.
Zion Brown is IndyStar’s motorsports reporter. Follow him at @z10nbr0wn. Get IndyStar’s motor sports coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Motor Sports newsletter. Subscribe to the YouTube channel IndyStar TV: IndyCar for a behind-the-scenes look at IndyCar and expert analysis.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Josef Newgarden’s injury status unclear as Team Penske preps replacement
Reporting by Zion Brown, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Zion Brown, Indianapolis Star | USA TODAY Network
