IndyCar Driver Nolan Siegel Not Cleared To Compete At Iowa After Crash

NEWTON, Iowa – Nolan Siegel will not compete in Sunday’s Farm To Finish 275 at Iowa Speedway after IndyCar Medical did not clear him to drive.

Arrow McLaren announced there won’t be a substitute driver in the No. 6 Chevrolet for the 275-lap race, so 26 cars will start instead of 27.

Arrow McLaren issued a statement three hours before Sunday’s race at Iowa Speedway on July 13.

“Following an on-track incident on Lap 248 of yesterday’s race at Iowa Speedway, Nolan Siegel has not been cleared to compete by the INDYCAR Medical Team. The team has made the decision to not run the No. 6 NTT DATA Arrow McLaren Chevrolet without its team driver in today’s race. Nolan will continue to be evaluated, and we will stay in close contact with the Medical Team as he recovers.”

The crash in the fourth-turn wall on Lap 248 was so severe, it damaged the SAFER Barrier that Red Flagged the race so repairs could be made.

“There’s no place I’d rather be than out there driving today, especially from P5, 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 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 podium, and we’ll be back soon to do just that.”

Tony Kanaan is the Arrow McLaren Team Principal and because of the short turnaround from Saturday evening’s Synk 275 and Sunday’s Farm To Finish 275, it was best to leave the ride vacant for Sunday.

“I’ve been there, I know how Nolan feels not racing today,” Kanaan said. “It’s the worst feeling in the world.

“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 been 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.”