Felipe Nasr on standby duty at Road America
It is a strange sight to see a pilot of Felipe Nasr’s caliber walking through the paddock in a full driver’s suit, but that is exactly what we saw this Friday at Road America. With Josef Newgarden still hampered by a left foot injury sustained during the Indianapolis 500, Nasr—a three-time IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Champion—is on standby for the No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet. Newgarden managed to secure a win at World Wide Technology Raceway while hurt, but the physical toll of Road America’s heavy braking zones and intense lateral forces is a completely different beast.
Newgarden ended Friday’s session 14th fastest, and the team will be monitoring him closely before Saturday's track activity begins. It is a testament to the grit of these machines and the drivers who wrestle them that Newgarden is pushing through this, but having a talent like Nasr ready to jump in is the kind of professional insurance only a team like Penske can afford.
