NEWNow you can listen to Pak Gazette articles!
It’s a big weekend for IndyCar, as the series race at Nashville Superspeedway on Sunday had a big lead from the FIFA World Cup final, but got off to a scary start thanks to a big crash by Team Penske’s David Malukas that ruled him out of Saturday’s qualifying session.
Malukas, who is in his first season driving the No. 12 Chevrolet, lost the rear of his car mid-turn and crashed left-rear first into the SAFER barrier during Saturday morning practice.
It was a strong impact that destroyed the rear of Malukas’ car.
INDYCAR ANNOUNCES START TIME FOR THE LONG-ANTICIPATED FREEDOM 250 GRAND PRIX ON THE STREETS OF WASHINGTON, DC
That was obviously the end of Malukas’ practice session, and he was reported to be “awake, alert and in good spirits.”
Team Penske’s David Malukas suffered a major crash in practice at Nashville Superspeedway that severely damaged his No. 12 Chevrolet and sent him to the hospital. (Photo by Brandon Badraoui/Lumen via Getty Images)
But a little later, it was revealed that Malukas had been taken to a local hospital for further tests and evaluations.
IndyCar veteran Conor Daly has since been chosen to take over Malukas’ car for qualifying. However, his status for Saturday night’s practice and Sunday’s race, the Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix, remains unclear.
TRUMP PROMOTES ‘SPECIAL’ ABILITY OF INDYCAR DRIVERS AT FREEDOM 250 GRAND PRIX SHOW, APPARENTLY ENDING HOT DEBATE
Curiously, Malukas was already prepared to serve a nine-place grid penalty due to an unapproved engine change.
David Malukas will miss qualifying and Conor Daly will take his place. The team said that if the car is ready, Daly will use the session to perform a shakedown. (Photo by Brandon Badraoui/Lumen via Getty Images)
Now, with the car needing major repairs after the accident, if it is ready for qualifying, Daly’s job will be to perform a shakedown to ensure it is ready for the rest of the weekend, regardless of who is in it.
Even after qualifying began, the team was still working to put the car together, with the added consideration that if Daly drives in qualifying, he will have to drive the rest of the weekend, even if Malukas is healthy enough to return.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON PakGazette.Com
SIGN UP TO RECEIVE THE LATEST SPORTS NEWS
Malukas is currently fourth in the championship standings, 66 points behind leader Alex Palou, and has performed well in his first season with one of the best teams in the series.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE Pak Gazette APP
While he’s still chasing his first win, the 24-year-old from Chicago has one pole, five top-fives and nine top-10s so far this year, including a second-place finish in this year’s Indianapolis 500.
This week, Malukas was one of three drivers, along with Palou and Indy 500 winner Felix Rosenqvist, who visited the White House ahead of the Freedom 250 Grand Prix in Washington, DC.
