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Indianapolis Star
7 days ago
- Automotive
- Indianapolis Star
'The dream is still very much alive': IndyCar interest gives Linus Lundqvist belief he'll return
Linus Lundqvist has attended nearly every IndyCar race in 2025, despite not having a ride, in hopes of remaining on teams' radars for 2026. TORONTO — It's been a painful 10 weeks for Linus Lundqvist, spending nearly every weekend watching Indy cars race around the Midwest from the sidelines. But it's a purposeful agony he's chosen, and the 2024 IndyCar Rookie of the Year is hoping the emotional scars he talks over with his therapist will before long pave the road back to the cockpit of the only job he's ever wanted. 'It's hard, because my passion is driving and winning, and it hurts to be at a racetrack and watching everybody else do it and not me,' Lundqvist told IndyStar while serving as a reserve driver for Arrow McLaren, a one-off opportunity spurred by the mild concussion Nolan Siegel suffered last weekend at Iowa Speedway. Lundqvist, who has 20 IndyCar starts under his belt with a resume that includes a pair of podiums, a pole and a 16th-place finish in the championship as a rookie with Chip Ganassi Racing a year ago, was tabbed to be on standby this week and weekend in case the team's full-time driver of the No. 6 wasn't cleared to return. Lundqvist actually traveled with the team Thursday morning with Siegel back in Indianapolis awaiting clearance – a call the young American driver eventually received, meaning the 26-year-old Swede will roam the IndyCar paddock this weekend in a papaya uniform instead of plain clothes, his seat marginally different while on the timing stand instead of the grandstands. Ultimately, Sunday was largely the same. 'I'm very up front about the fact that in this sense, it sucks, but I also know that it's my best shot at being back at a track and driving next year is being here and going through all of that and being ready,' Lundqvist continued. 'It's like, yeah, it's pain, but pain I'm willing to go through to hopefully be on the grid next year.' Days ahead of this season's IndyCar opener at St. Pete, Lundqvist announced he wouldn't be on the grid full time in 2025, noting he'd been 'formally notified' by CGR in January that what he described as a 'multi-year agreement' had been terminated after just one year. The writing appeared to have been on the wall for some time, with his former home announcing back in October that its roster for 2025 was set and seats elsewhere around the paddock largely having been almost entirely set for months. Whereas his former teammate Marcus Armstrong, who similarly had inked a multi-year deal with CGR, had been loaned out to Meyer Shank Racing, a team CGR entered into a technical alliance with ahead of this season, Lundqvist felt he'd been left high and dry as IndyCar's newly launched charter system that allows teams to run a maximum of three full-time cars for guaranteed entry into each race forced CGR to scale its lineup back from five cars to three. 'I am hopeful that through the provisions in my CGR agreement, we will be able to reach a resolution that would place me back in a competitive seat,' Lundqvist wrote on social media in February. 'In the meantime, I will continue to pursue other racing options, preferably in IndyCar where I hope to continue my career and build on my open-wheel successes to date.' That pursuit, Lundqvist has explained, has involved attending most IndyCar races within driving distance of his Indianapolis home, taking his helmet and safety equipment with him and preparing as if he was scheduled to be in the car, so that if such an opportunity were to come about, he'd be ready to best prove himself, knowing he may only get one more shot to audition for a second chance. After all, in a short three-race substitute stint for Meyer Shank Racing near the end of the 2023 season coming off his rather dominant 2022 Indy Lights championship run, Lundqvist made his IndyCar debut and took the paddock by storm, starting in the top 12 for all three races and notching a 12th-place finish on the IMS road course in his second career race. Just a couple weeks later, he'd been scooped up by the hottest team on the paddock of late. Siegel energized for Toronto return: 'I have a greater appreciation for what I'm doing.' 'For me, this is very much a no-brainer. (IndyCar) is my Plan A, B, C and D. There's no backup plan,' he said. 'I'm very determined to make this work somehow, and the only thing I know is to be here, ready and available and staying sharp, because I know that if you're at home feeling sorry for yourself, nothing's going to come of it. 'So every race I can be at, the best thing I can do for myself is to be here, be ready, and when I got the call from Arrow McLaren, it was, 'OK, I must be doing something right. I'm still in the ballpark to be considered in case something were to happen.'' When at the track, Lundqvist can be frequently seen chatting up various team owners and officials, doing his best to ensure he's top of mind for anyone who may have an opening, whether that's a short-term one like Arrow McLaren this weekend, or a full-time shot for 2026 and beyond as IndyCar's silly season begins to kick into high gear in the coming weeks. 'I'm still quite positive about my chances of being on the grid next year. Obviously, this is IndyCar and motor racing, and you never know until something is done, but I also think if those conversations I've been having with teams were, 'No, we're not interested,' then I'd probably at some point stop showing up to races and say, 'OK, this isn't going to work,'' Lundqvist said. 'But I keep showing up because people keep saying they're interested and that there might be opportunities, so that's what I live on right now, that the dream is still very much alive.'
Indianapolis Star
17-07-2025
- Automotive
- Indianapolis Star
Nolan Siegel cleared from mild concussion to return for IndyCar's race in Toronto
Nolan Siegel has been cleared to return to the cockpit by IndyCar's medical team following the mild concussion he suffered in a late-race crash at Iowa Speedway in Race 1 of last weekend's doubleheader, Arrow McLaren announced Thursday. The 20-year-old first-year full-time driver is scheduled to be back in the car for Friday afternoon's weekend opening practice for the Honda Indy on the streets of Toronto. In the wake of his single-car crash that brought out a red flag due to extensive repair to the outer wall's SAFER barrier, IndyCar's medical team required Siegel to be re-checked Sunday morning ahead of Race 2 and in that process did not clear him to return to the cockpit for Sunday's race. Arrow McLaren opted not to run his No. 6 car, and Monday they announced that 2024 IndyCar Rookie of the Year Linus Lundqvist, sidelined since losing his ride at Chip Ganassi Racing after the team scaled back from five cars to three last offseason, was being readied this week as the potential stand-in for Siegel. IndyCar's medical team scheduled Siegel to be reevaluated Thursday morning ahead of traveling to Toronto, and after a week of rest, recovery, light workouts and time on the simulator, they deemed the driver ready to return to racing. Lundqvist will still be on-hand with Arrow McLaren throughout the race weekend, should Siegel again feel lingering symptoms from his concussion and require a backup driver at a moment's notice, but the car's full-time driver is slated to complete the entire weekend unless something otherwise changes.
Indianapolis Star
13-07-2025
- Automotive
- Indianapolis Star
Nolan Siegel won't drive in Farm to Finish 275 after crash in IndyCar's first race at Iowa
NEWTON, Iowa — Nolan Siegel has not been cleared to compete in Sunday afternoon's IndyCar race at Iowa Speedway by the series' medical team after the 20-year-old Arrow McLaren driver weathered a hard single-car crash on Lap 248 of Saturday afternoon's kickoff to the doubleheader weekend, the team announced Sunday morning. Arrow McLaren has elected not to run the No. 6 Chevy entry that Siegel qualified fifth, trimming the field to 26 cars. Siegel "will continue to be evaluated" and the team said it will "stay in close contact with the (IndyCar) medical team as he recovers." IndyCar heads to the streets of Toronto five days later for Friday afternoon's opening practice, meaning depending on the severity of Siegel's injury, which the team did not specify, they may need to seek a temporary replacement if he's not cleared to return to the cockpit later this week. It's routine for IndyCar's medical team to put drivers who've undergone an especially severe hit (measured by the G forces sensed either in the car or the driver's helmet) to perform follow-up checks for concussion-like symptoms, though it's not immediately clear if Siegel is in that protocol. Siegel's crash on Lap 248 in Turn 4 led to an initial yellow flag, followed 10 laps later by a red flag to repair the SAFER barriers in the outer wall at the point of impact. "There's no place I'd rather be than out there driving today, especially from (fifth on the grid), one of my best starting positions of the season," Siegel said. "I know I'm in good hands with the IndyCar medical team and thank them for the great care they provide us drivers. "Most of all, I feel for the No. 6 car crew. They gave me a rocket this weekend and put in a ton of work last night with hopes we'd be racing today. They deserve to be out there fighting for a podium, and we'll be back soon to do just that." Among those on the ground at Iowa Speedway this weekend who could've been able to fill-in are ex-Chip Ganassi Racing driver Linus Lundqvist, last year's IndyCar Rookie of the Year who snagged a pole and a pair of podiums in 2024, but who was a victim of IndyCar's charter system that forced CGR to trim back to three full-time cars in a process that left him the odd man out and without opportunities elsewhere. A year ago, then-Dale Coyne Racing driver Jack Harvey was attempting to manage severe back pain and was debating pulling out of Saturday's race following qualifying. Live updates: IndyCar Farm to Finish 275 at Iowa Speedway race updates, leaderboard, crashes, stream, TV But IndyCar would not allow for a substitute driver because no other driver not already in the field had participated on track. Because of that, Harvey and Coyne opted to have the veteran driver start the race, though he retired 28 laps into the race when he could no longer bear the pain. Sunday morning of that doubleheader weekend, substitute driver Conor Daly was allowed to step into the car to run what amounted to an handful of install check-like laps to get his bearings, and he started Race No. 2 in the No. 18 Honda in place of Harvey. Rookie Hunter McElrea raced in place of Harvey at Toronto, and the British driver was back in the car for the next race at World Wide Technology Raceway. Last year at Toronto, Arrow McLaren also had to jump through hoops after then-driver Alexander Rossi broke his wrist in a Friday practice crash, and the team made last-minute arrangements for Theo Pourchaire, who had filled in for an injured David Malukas earlier in the year, to fly in from Europe overnight and make it into the No. 7 Chevy just in time for qualifying. 'A lot of salt to get rid of': How will Pato O'Ward celebrate Synk 275 win? Gifting Josef Newgarden Kit-Kats "I've been there. I know how Nolan feels not racing today. It's the worst feeling int he world," Arrow McLaren team principal Tony Kanaan said. "The most important thing, though, is that he's fit to race, and unfortunately that's not the case today. It was a tough decision to park the car, but we've ben through this before. "We just found out this morning he's not cleared, and we decided the best thing for the team is to not rush into switching drivers this weekend. It's too much of a shuffle and unnecessary stress when we're right back to racing in Toronto in a week. After today, we'll have to make a contingency plan in case Nolan's not cleared to race in Toronto, but today, this is the best for the team."
Indianapolis Star
18-05-2025
- Automotive
- Indianapolis Star
Marco Andretti offers advice after rookie's 'legendary moment' at Indianapolis 500 qualifying
INDIANAPOLIS — While sitting at the dais after Day 1 of Indianapolis 500 qualifying, former IndyCar Rookie of the Year Marco Andretti turned his head toward Robert Shwartzman and offered him advice. "Trust yourself," Andretti said. "Respect the speed if something doesn't feel right." Even if things didn't feel right, everything went right for Prema Racing's rookie driver Saturday. Shwartzman finished sixth fastest with an average speed of 232.584 mph, putting himself in a prime position heading into Day 2 Sunday. According to Shwartzman, his top speed hit 231 mph on Fast Friday. "This morning I went to my engineer and asked, 'What do you think, how fast are we going to go with a cooler temp?' And he said two more (mph). I said, 'Damn, that's optimistic.' "The first lap, I said, 'I'll floor it and whatever happens, happens.' I saw 233 (mph) and said, 'Oh, he is right, the car is fast,'" Shwartzman said Saturday after qualifying for the Fast 12. Shwartzman did not expect to perform that well. His goal was to complete the four qualifying laps and wanted to use Saturday to build confidence in his ability to drive his car and maintain control. 'Ram my head through drywall': Conor Daly comes up just short of top-12 qualifying finish The 25-year-old admitted that he lost rear on the third and fourth laps. Shwartzman said he needs to work on balancing the car so that it will hold flat on the final two laps Sunday. Before joining IndyCar, Shwartzman established himself in formula racing. The 2019 FIA Formula 3 champion called the atmosphere at Indy 500 qualifying 'very special' and said it was 'incomparable' to European motorsport. 'It was the toughest qualifying of my career because four laps, one slight mistake and you're done,' Shwartzman said. 'When you go out, it's full focus, and you have not even a slight second to relax, whereas normally in European qualifying, you have a moment to breathe. It was a big challenge, but I'm happy that I managed to complete all four laps.' Fast 12, Rows 5-10 are set: Indy 500 qualifying results from Day 1 Shwartzman was also happy for his team. Prema, known for its decorated formula racing program, joined IndyCar in 2025. Callum Ilott is also racing for the Italian-based team. The Englishmen finished 23rd Saturday. 'It's the first (top 12) for the team and here in Indy, so it's a legendary moment for us,' Shwartzman said. 'The team, the engineering, the mechanics, everything was step by step, not rushing things and making sure everything was right, and I think that's where it paid off (today).'
