Arrow McLaren has confirmed that their reserve driver for the Toronto event, should Nolan Siegel be deemed unfit to race, will be Linus Lundqvist.
Nolan Siegel Possibly Sidelined With Concussion, Lundqvist tapped as McLaren Reserve Driver
IndyCar is fresh off a double-header in Iowa, where they raced on both Saturday and Sunday at the Iowa Speedway. During race 1, Siegel was involved in a wreck during the late stages of the race.
Siegel was brought to the IndyCar medical center for assessment. Ahead of Race 2, Siegel seemed confident that he would be able to race; however, the medical team did not clear him to drive.
Siegel was diagnosed with a mild concussion, and his status for Toronto remains unknown for now. He’ll be assessed by the medical team once again on Thursday morning ahead of the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto. This is when they will determine whether or not he will be able to participate.
Why Arrow McLaren Chose Lundqvist
Linus Lundqvist is no stranger to IndyCar. He raced in Indy NXT for two years. He was the 2022 champion while driving for HMD Motorsports with Dale Coyne Racing.
Lundqvist made his IndyCar debut in 2023 at the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix, replacing Simon Pagenaud, who was recovering from an injury sustained during a crash at Mid-Ohio. For the 2024 season, Lundqvist raced with Chip Ganassi Racing, signing a multi-year contract with the team.
Some of the highlights of his season include securing his first pole position at Road America. He finished seventh in the standings. Lundqvist was also the winner of the Rookie of the Year. The competition was between him and five other drivers.
Despite his success, Chip Ganassi opted to terminate his contract ahead of the 2025 season. Lundqvist shared a post on Instagram confirming he would not be returning to the grid with the team. He said he was made aware of the team’s decision in mid-January.
What This Means Going Forward
If Siegel isn’t able to race, the team will go forward with Lundqvist as the driver of the No. 6 Chevrolet for Arrow McLaren in Toronto. Depending on his performance, Lundqvist could find himself replacing Siegel until he’s fully recovered.
One possibility would be Lundqvist replacing Siegel for the remainder of July. There are races every weekend this month.
Last year, Arrow McLaren was put into a similar situation when David Malukas suffered a wrist injury and was out indefinitely. At that time, the team had multiple drivers substitute before landing on Siegel.
Read More: Who should replace David Malukas at Arrow McLaren?
It may not be all that bad, however, last year, Alexander Rossi wasn’t able to race after being injured during practice in Toronto. The team called up Theo Pourchaire for the weekend, and Rossi was back in the car by the next race. One important thing to note, however, is that Rossi had more time to recover thanks to the summer break.
The safest option for the team would be to allow Lundqvist to race in Toronto and at Laguna Seca to give Siegel as much recovery time as possible before the final three races in August.
LWOS will continue to give you all the updates regarding Siegel and any future events surrounding the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto. The race is on July 20th at noon.
Read Next: Chip Ganassi Gets a 1-2 Finish at Race 2 at Iowa Speedway
Main Photo: Joe Skibinski, Penske Entertainment
Recording Date: 8/31/2024
