Josef Newgarden was released from a hospital in Des Moines, Iowa, on Monday and returned to his home in Nashville after he fainted following a crash in Sunday’s IndyCar Series race at Iowa Speedway.
IndyCar staged two races over the weekend at Newton, Iowa. Newgarden won the first race Saturday and was leading Sunday’s Hy-Vee Salute to Farmers 300 a day later when he spun out and crashed into the outside wall on Lap 235.
Newgarden was evaluated in the infield care center and released. After the race, he fainted and received a cut on the back of his head, Team Penske said in a statement. He was airlifted to a hospital in Des Moines for evaluation and was held there overnight for observation.
He will be evaluated Thursday by IndyCar medical staff, per protocol.
Newgarden, 31, is a two-time IndyCar Series champion (2017, 2019) with 24 victories to his credit. He currently ranks third in the current points standings.
Team Penske announced that Santino Ferrucci will be on standby to drive the No. 2 PPG Paints Chevrolet if Newgarden is unable to compete on Saturday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.
Ferrucci, 24, has started 43 IndyCar races and notched two top-10 finishes at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He has made three starts this season and finished in the top 10 twice.
–Field Level Media