Askew gets call from old team as emergency replacement
(AP Photo/Paul Sancya) (Paul Sancya)DETROIT — (AP) — Oliver Askew, like most race car drivers, never goes to a track without his helmet — one never knows when a team might need an emergency driver. So he was ready when Arrow McLaren SP needed a replacement for Felix Rosenqvist on Sunday at the Raceway at Belle Isle Park. Rosenqvist was hospitalized following a violent crash a day earlier; Askew drove 12 races last year in the No. Arrow McLaren SP has been vague on what caused Rosenqvist to crash at what the driver estimated to be 100 mph into a tire barrier. Arrow McLaren SP said only that an investigation of the crash "eliminated driver error or any issues related to Chevrolet systems and software, including involving the throttle system.
wftv.comPato O'Ward inching toward first IndyCar Series victory
The start-and-stop uncertainty of this IndyCar season has not bothered Pato O'Ward, leader of a young fleet of drivers new to the series but capable of keeping up with the veterans. Had the pandemic not decimated the IndyCar schedule, O'Ward might have built some momentum to have already earned his first series win. O'Ward was entered in one Formula 2 race then Red Bull moved him to Japan's Super Formula category. They asked me to come to Austria like five, six days before the race," O'Ward said. Sam Schmidt's race team had been overhauled via a partnership with McLaren, and McLaren boss Zak Brown moved fast to grab O'Ward.
IndyCar's next wave proving kids are more than all right
Two-time and defending champ Josef Newgarden, who won the second race of the Iowa doubleheader, has yet to turn 30. Pagenaud, who like Newgarden drives for Team Penske, won the first Iowa race on Friday night. The natural ebb and flow of sports dictates there must be a wave of youngsters waiting to replace them. Not surprisingly, Ferrucci was fired by his Trident Racing team. Take the doubleheader this weekend, where Herta and VeeKay were in contention Friday night before a caution flag waved.