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Indianapolis Star
6 days ago
- Automotive
- Indianapolis Star
'I have a greater appreciation for what I'm doing.' Nolan Siegel energized for Toronto return
TORONTO — In the history books, it'll go down as an otherwise innocuous race missed for Nolan Siegel, but the Arrow McLaren driver said the lesson of the last six days will stay with him the rest of his IndyCar career. 'If anything, I have a greater appreciation for what I'm doing. It was hard to sit out on Sunday and watch. That was not a fun time for me, and I've just been itching to get back in the car the past few days,' said Siegel, who Friday returned to the cockpit less than a week after suffering a mild concussion in a single-car crash in Race 1 of IndyCar's Iowa Speedway doubleheader. After being reevaluated Sunday morning four hours ahead of Race 2, the IndyCar medical team opted not to clear the 20-year-old to return later that day. As Siegel retold, his passion for the sport and the pursuit of growth in his young career that's seen more downs than ups had him wanting to engage in an argument to talk himself back into the car. 'Believe me. I wanted to be in the car on Sunday. It was difficult to sit out, for sure, but the reason we have the people we have in (IndyCar medical) … As much as I hated sitting out and wanted to get back in the car and argue with them, they know more about this than I do,' Siegel said Friday ahead of practice No. 1 for the weekend's Toronto street race. 'And when they said, 'You can't do it,' you can't do it. 'Once they said that, they put their plan together to help me get back in, and they did everything possible to help me get back this weekend, and I'm grateful for their help.' Beyond Saturday evening in the immediate aftermath of his accident, one that required SAFER barrier repairs due to the severity of the hit, Siegel told reporters Friday that he experienced no lingering symptoms, despite not being cleared to immediately get back in the car. His week this past week consisted of workouts of varying degrees of intensity, as well as time on the simulator to best, well, simulate the rigors of racing a car well above 150 mph down the back straight on the streets of Toronto. After being cleared, he traveled on his own up to Toronto on Thursday midday and underwent an additional final workout with the IndyCar medical team just to be safe. 'Going through that whole process, it's nice for me to have had that process to go through, just because now I know I have nothing wrong having gone through all those steps, and that means there won't be anything wrong in the car,' he said. 'It's an unfortunate nature of this sport; they're all big hits, and if you hit at just the wrong angle, sometimes it's an issue. How Nolan Siegel became rising star: He broke both wrists, then 'kicked everyone's a--' 'So while it sucked to sit out on Sunday, everyone at medical thought that was the right decision and thought there was a big risk if I were to hit something again. I would definitely regret it a lot more if I had hit something else Sunday and was out for the rest of the season. It's not where I wanted to be, but I trust their opinions and trust that that was ultimately the best thing for me in the long run.' Maybe the toughest part — tougher than the simple fact of being out of the car at all — was that the first-year full-time driver was slated for his second best IndyCar start, having qualified fifth for Race 2 the day before, Siegel's third consecutive top 10 qualifying performance. Paired with his second best career finish a couple weeks prior at Road America (eighth) and another reasonably solid one at Mid-Ohio (11th), Siegel was sitting well within the top 10 at the time of his crash with under 30 laps to go. There was momentum to be had in putting together perhaps a sixth-place finish and then stating fifth the next day. 'I missed it': Ex-Team Penske IndyCar leader relishing new chapter with Arrow McLaren After finishing 22nd fastest in practice Friday afternoon, there's work to be done to rediscover that much-needed momentum as Siegel attempts to finish his 2025 campaign on a solid upward swing. 'Yes, we had a small setback, but at the same time, we've been competitive multiple weekends in a row. We've been fast, and there's no reason we can't continue to do that,' he said. 'As a group, I'm not letting us change our flow, and we're approaching this just like we finished fifth at Iowa (in Race 1) rather than having to sit out.'
Fox Sports
18-07-2025
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Siegel Back On Track, DeFrancesco Back At Home: What To Know For INDYCAR At Toronto
TORONTO — The lone INDYCAR race this season across the border goes green this weekend on the streets of Exhibition Place and Lake Ontario. The 2.874-kilometer course (OK, you want it in miles, 1.786-mile) has 11 turns and has been part of a summer festival for 37 years. The tight course requires precision and also handling a pit road that isn't straight but instead has some curves. At 90 laps, it is five laps longer this year (noon ET on FOX). The 27-driver field is the same as it has been for most races in 2025. And that wasn't a certainty until Thursday morning for the final street course race of the season. Let's dive into a few things you need to know about this race. Nolan Siegel Cleared The Arrow McLaren driver was cleared Thursday to race after missing the event Sunday at Iowa following a hard crash Saturday in Iowa. "Missing out on Sunday's race in Iowa was definitely tough, especially after qualifying fifth," Siegel said in a statement. "After a week of rest and recovery, I'm looking forward to being back in the car." Drivers have accelerometers in their ears, so INDYCAR doctors know how hard the hit is when they evaluate the driver. Any accident that registers 80Gs in any axis or direction is required to return for further evaluation. INDYCAR, like most sports leagues, uses the King-Devick test from the Mayo Clinic among its tools. INDYCAR's head neurologist, Dr. Bert Vargas, along with INDYCAR medical director Dr. Julia Vaizer, typically does the evaluation to clear a driver to return. Vargas serves as a member of the NFL Head, Neck and Spine Committee and is also a sideline unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant for the NFL. Earlier this year, Marcus Armstrong had to return to the medical center at Indianapolis a few hours after an accident to be cleared for the next session. Siegel had to revisit Sunday morning and was not cleared. Arrow McLaren team principal Tony Kanaan missed a race in 2001 because of a concussion so he knows how hard it is for the driver to sit out. "I crashed in Detroit on Saturday, got a concussion," Kanaan said. "They sat me out in the race on Sunday, but we had Portland next week, and I am sure I wasn't right because that weekend, I was so slow in Portland. I started that and I crashed again in the first lap, and I couldn't understand why. And I felt fine. "We've come a long way, and this is probably one of the worst things because when ... you're looking at yourself, you're perfectly fine, and you think you're fine. Those type of injuries are so frustrating." In the last 12 years, there have been two drivers who have not returned to INDYCAR because of concussions — Dario Franchitti and Simon Pagenaud. Alex Tagliani was the replacement when Franchitti got hurt and Conor Daly was the replacement when Pagenaud got hurt. Linus Lundqvist, the 2024 INDYCAR rookie of the year, is on standby for Siegel. Jack Harvey was the last driver before Pagenaud in 2023 to miss a race because of a concussion. He missed the race at Texas after a crash in practice in 2022 and was replaced by Santino Ferrucci. In 2021, Felix Rosenqvist missed two races following an accident in 2021 at Detroit. He was never diagnosed with a concussion but did not perform well on the post-crash concussion protocol tests. Oliver Askew and Kevin Magnussen replaced him in those races. Robb Car Escapes Damage in Hauler Fire About 150 miles into the trip from Iowa last Sunday, the transporter carrying Sting Ray Robb's car blew a tire, which broke a seal on the axle and started a fire. It burned the hole of about 5- to 6-feet high, according to Colona Township Fire Department Chief John Swan. The fire department is about four miles from where the accident occurred on Interstate 74/280 in Illinois and that was critical, Swan said, in keeping the car from getting damaged. The fire didn't penetrate the inside wall of the transporter, and equipment suffered smoke and heat damage. The Juncos Hollinger Racing team has both of its cars at Toronto. It is using its Indy NXT hauler for Robb this weekend. Comeback ... Of Performance Kind While all the Andretti drivers raced last weekend, they probably feel they need as much of a comeback as a driver such as Siegel. All three of the drivers blew right front tires during the Iowa doubleheader weekend. Since that race was on an oval, there isn't a lot of correlation between the loads last week and this week. "It sucks," driver Colton Herta said. "I don't like to think about it for sure, and it makes me annoyed. But as far as what were the problems there, and are they going to come into this weekend? "There's almost zero percent chance. Such a different race, such different setup." Herta said they will figure out why they had the issue and no other organizations did in the coming weeks as they need to focus on the upcoming races here at Toronto and next week at Laguna Seca. "It's something that we're definitely not taking lightly. And it's important for the team to do that, just because for my peace of mind, too, inside the car, for blowing tires ... because there's a chance that you have a big one at some point," Herta said. "But at the end of the day, it's part of it. This is the first for us at Andretti, so I think we're learning this together for the first time." Herta is the defending winner of the Toronto race. "It's a track that poses a lot of different challenges," Herta said. "It's a street circuit. So no room for error, and the concrete walls are not good friends. So any little mistake turns into quite a big one here very fast. "It's a good mix of high-speed, low-speed corners. The pit stops are always difficult on this curvy pit lane that we have." Adjusting Goals? Bouncing back will be vital for Andretti driver Kyle Kirkwood, who has won two of the street-course races this year. Kirkwood went from 113 points behind series leader Alex Palou to 180 points behind after the Iowa doubleheader. With just five races left, Kirkwood doesn't think he has a reasonable shot at the title. "That seems unattainable from this point," Kirkwood said. "As long as it's mathematically possible to beat him, we're going to keep trying to get wins. At the same time, we put ourselves in a pretty big hole. "We're just going to go out and try and get some wins here, show that we are a championship-capable winning team, which I believe we are." So now is it win or don't care considering the championship is out of reach? "Winning races does win championships," said Kirkwood, whose three wins rank only behind Palou's seven this season. "Palou is proving that this season. That is the No. 1 focus. "Of course, it would be nice to claw back some and give ourselves an opportunity to be in the second position because in a lot of cases, getting a second this year is like getting a win in the championship." Home-Country Pressure And, finally, since the race is in Canada, that means it will be special for the one Canadian-born driver in the field. Devlin DeFrancesco believes his first Toronto Grand Prix was in 2013. "I feel very relaxed," DeFrancesco said. "I'm excited to be home. I like this track." He said he doesn't know how many friends and family are coming but he has a suite and has let someone else handle all the requests. "There's a tidal wave of support this weekend," DeFrancesco said. "Toronto is one of the biggest turnouts for fans. It's a hugely popular event. ... It'd be amazing to be able to go back somewhere like Edmonton [too] or somewhere like that." Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and INDYCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass. recommended Item 1 of 1 Get more from the NTT INDYCAR SERIES Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
Canada News.Net
18-07-2025
- Automotive
- Canada News.Net
Nolan Siegel cleared to compete in Toronto race
(Photo credit: Ayrton Breckenridge/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images) Nolan Siegel will be behind the wheel of his No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevy on Friday for the Honda Indy Toronto, one day after receiving clearance from the IndyCar medical staff. Siegel, 20, careened into wall in the first race of a doubleheader at Iowa Speedway last Saturday. He was ruled out for the following day's race due to a mild concussion. 'Missing out on Sunday's race in Iowa was definitely tough, especially after qualifying fifth,' Siegel said. 'After a week of rest and recovery, I'm looking forward to being back in the car. We've got a fresh SmartStop livery to debut, so I'm hoping we can put together a strong result and make it a good one for the whole crew.' Arrow McLaren confirmed that Siegel will be participating in this weekend's race. 'Nolan has been cleared by the IndyCar medical team to drive this weekend in Toronto,' Arrow McLaren said. 'He will pilot the No. 6 SmartStop Arrow McLaren Chevy in their first primary sponsorship race of the season. He's en route to Canada now and is expected to be trackside later today.' Siegel has 156 points, which puts him in 21st place in the standings. He is six ahead of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing's Louis Foster, with the top 22 receiving bonus payouts at the end of the season. Linus Lundqvist will be the standby driver in case Siegel can't race.
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
14-07-2025
- Automotive
- Indianapolis Star
Arrow McLaren prepping Linus Lundqvist as potential replacement for Nolan Siegel at Toronto
Arrow McLaren has signed ex-Chip Ganassi Racing driver Linus Lundqvist as a reserve driver for this weekend's Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto street race, the team announced Monday. Practice begins Friday afternoon, but Nolan Siegel might not be cleared to return to the cockpit after suffering a minor concussion in a late-race crash Saturday at Iowa Speedway. Siegel was not cleared for Sunday's race by IndyCar medical officials that morning. Given the short break between the races and belief late Saturday that Siegel would be cleared, Arrow McLaren team principal Tony Kanaan opted not to run Siegel's No. 6 car Sunday. Doing so would've required requesting from IndyCar a special 15-minute shakedown session with a substitute driver on Saturday night, Kanaan said. And given the car repair time in the wake of Siegel's crash — one so hard that the SAFER barrier required repairs — the team principal didn't want the team scrambling with so much uncertainty. 'I missed it': Ex-Team Penske IndyCar leader relishing new chapter with Arrow McLaren Arrow McLaren briefly explored the possibility of Kanaan starting Sunday's race and parking immediately after the green flag, but IndyCar wouldn't approve such a move because Kanaan hadn't taken part in an on-track session during the weekend. An emergency on-track session wasn't available Sunday morning. Lundqvist was at Iowa Speedway on Sunday. The 26-year-old Swedish driver with 20 IndyCar starts will ready himself this week for what could amount to his first time inside an IndyCar cockpit since the 2024 season finale at Nashville Superspeedway. As Kanaan told select media Sunday morning ahead of that day's race, Lundqvist will be in the team's shop throughout this week as Siegel is put through a regimented recovery plan that includes light workouts, time on a racing simulator and evaluation by Ryan Harber, the team's head of human performance, health and wellness. Siegel will be reevaluated by IndyCar's medical team Thursday morning to determine his ability to drive in Toronto. How close was Tony Kanaan to driving?: Nolan Siegel's status, possible backup drivers for Toronto Lundqvist will be with the team all weekend and available should Siegel experience any discomfort in his return or if he isn't cleared. Lundqvist finished 13th in his lone start at Toronto a year ago. He finished 16th in points in his lone full-time IndyCar season in 2024 with five top-10s, a pair of podiums (Barber and World Wide Technology Raceway) and a pole (Road America), but he entered this season without a ride after CGR scaled back from five full-time cars to three as IndyCar launched its charter system that caps teams at three full-time entries guaranteed to start each race (minus the Indy 500).
