IndyCar driver change ahead of second Belle Isle race
By Asher Fair
Arrow McLaren SP have announced a driver change for the second race of the IndyCar doubleheader at Belle Isle Street Circuit.
After losing his full-time ride with Arrow McLaren SP after the 2020 IndyCar season, Oliver Askew is set to rejoin the team for this afternoon’s second race of the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix at Belle Isle Street Circuit.
Askew is set to get behind the wheel of his old car, the #7 Chevrolet, as the replacement for Felix Rosenqvist.
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Rosenqvist was involved in a nasty shunt on lap 24 of Saturday afternoon’s 70-lap race around the 14-turn, 2.35-mile (3.782-kilometer) temporary street circuit on the streets of Belle Isle in Detroit, Michigan.
This scary incident led to track repairs which put the race into a red flag period for well over an hour.
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While the 29-year-old Swede miraculously did not suffer any severe injuries from the impact, he is being held overnight at DMC Detroit Receiving Hospital for further evaluation.
The hope and plan is that he will be discharged later today, but he will not compete in this afternoon’s 70-lap race. He had competed in 38 races in a row going back to his series debut on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida in March 2019.
He was then transferred to Detroit Receiving Hospital for advanced imaging and evaluation by the trauma and neurological services...
— Arrow McLaren IndyCar Team (@ArrowMcLaren) June 13, 2021
Evaluation revealed no life or limb threatening injuries, he remains awake and alert, he will be observed overnight prior to discharge from the hospital."
— Arrow McLaren IndyCar Team (@ArrowMcLaren) June 13, 2021
Oliver Askew will pilot the No. 7 Vuse Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet in Race Two of the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix on Sunday.
— Arrow McLaren IndyCar Team (@ArrowMcLaren) June 13, 2021
Askew will be filling in for Felix Rosenqvist, who is being held overnight at DMC Detroit Receiving. pic.twitter.com/GAfiLcDGvE
Askew competed in 12 races last season, missing two due to an injury of his own, and he finished in a career-high third place at Iowa Speedway. His best finishes in six road/street course races were his 15th place finishes at Road America and Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
The 2019 Indy Lights champion has never competed in an IndyCar race on Belle Isle, as the doubleheader was wiped off of last year’s schedule due to COVID-19-related restrictions.
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NBC is set to broadcast the second race of the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix from Belle Isle Street Circuit beginning at 12:00 p.m. ET this afternoon.