Santino Ferrucci will race for Juncos Hollinger Racing at Belle Isle Park in Detroit in place of Callum Ilott, who is still recovering from his crash early in the Indianapolis 500, the team announced Wednesday (June 1).
Ilott was involved in a crash on lap 70 of the Indy 500 and suffered a broken wrist after hard contact with the backstretch wall. Ilott was able to exit the car under his own power but with the tricky and treacherous street course at Belle Isle Park in Detroit coming up, Ilott did not get the all-clear to pilot his car.
Instead, the nod goes to Ferrucci, who is no stranger to the punishment of Belle Isle. In six starts at the Detroit street course, Ferrucci has amassed three top-10 finishes. Ferrucci has made two starts this season finishing ninth at Texas and 10th in the Indy 500.
“Obviously I am devastated not to be racing this weekend in Detroit,” Ilott said in a team release. “After speaking with the doctors and specialists here in Indy the damage to my hand was slightly worse than when first looked at. They suggested that the long-term healing was the top priority and any damage that could be done in the short term by racing would be a longer-term problem. So, after learning this I agreed with the medical team’s decision that I would not be cleared and would spend more time healing.
“Although I would have loved to be racing, I wanted to preserve myself and focus on my health. I spoke with Ricardo (Juncos) and Brad (Hollinger) and we came to a same conclusion for the benefit of the team. I will be with the team this weekend and supporting Santino and providing any guidance I can. I am sorry that I won’t be in the car this weekend but know this is the right decision.”
This pairing is a reunion of sorts as Juncos and Ferrucci have known each other since Ferrucci’s karting days.
IndyCar hits the Belle Isle street circuit for the running of the Chevy Grand Prix of Detroit for its next race of 2022. USA Network has TV coverage…
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