Arrow McLaren signs ex-Chip Ganassi driver as potential Nolan Siegel replacement for Toronto race

Arrow McLaren's Nolan Siegel suffered a massive crash during Race 1 at Iowa Speedway, which made him suffer a mild concussion. This led to him not being cleared to compete in the second race at the tri-oval circuit.

With doubts looming over the 20-year-old's ability to participate in the next race at Toronto, Canada, the Indianapolis-based team has decided to sign ex-Chip Ganassi Racing man, Linus Lundqvist, into its fray of drivers.

Siegel has matured over the past year with Arrow McLaren, as he has scored two top-10 finishes and has garnered praise from team principal Tony Kanaan throughout the year. However, a crash on lap 248 of the first race at the Iowa Speedway ruled him out of participating in the rest of the weekend.

Moreover, the California-born driver is yet to receive the green light from the IndyCar medical team regarding his status at the race in Toronto later this weekend. This has forced Arrow McLaren to take pre-emptive measures and sign Linus Lundqvist as a reserve driver to fill in for Siegel if worst comes to worst. Lundqvist wished for the No. 6 incumbent driver's quick recovery with a post on X.

"Wishing Nolan a very speedy recovery! 🙏"

The Swede was part of Chip Ganassi Racing last year and claimed a solitary pole position alongside two podiums, en route to finishing 16th in the championship. He lost out on his seat on the team as the IndyCar charter agreement came into effect, and CGR had to downsize its racing operations.

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The Arrow McLaren reserve driver opportunity is the reward of Linus Lundqvist's relentless efforts

Linus Lundqvist at the 2024 NTT INDYCAR Series Gallagher Grand Prix - Source: Getty

Linus Lundqvist landing a reserve driver role at Arrow McLaren has come after plenty of hard work by the 26-year-old. He has been present at IndyCar race weekends, week in and week out, presenting his availability to any team in case of any emergencies.

Lundqvist told RACER about his long drawn-out efforts to get a shot at racing in IndyCar again.

"Some people may think it sounds silly or stupid, but I do my own pre-event preparations to the extent that I work like I am racing this weekend. So I’m going through my notes, going through everything that I learned last year, and bringing it into this weekend so I’m really ready.

“It’s a lot of spending my own time to do this, which isn’t always fun, because you're preparing for something that, at least so far, hasn't happened yet. But I also tell myself that I do get an opportunity, I know that in this industry, you may only get one shot of showing what you've got. So I'm going to try to stay as prepared as I can and be up to speed if that opportunity comes again. It's not just laying home on the couch waiting for the phone to ring."

If Nolan Siegel is ruled out of the race in Canada, it would make for Lundqvist's 21st race start in the IndyCar series.