By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief
According to Motorsport.com, JR Hildebrand will replace the injured Josef Newgarden at the upcoming Verizon IndyCar Series test at Road America on Wednesday, along with any races should Newgarden not be ready.
Newgarden fractured his right clavicle and a small fracture in his right hand after a vicious crash at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday.
Hildebrand has been in a part time role with Ed Carpenter Racing, having raced the previous three Indianapolis 500’s under its banner, along with two Grand Prix of Indianapolis.
“We’re testing with JR at Road America on Wednesday and he’ll fill in for Josef until he’s ready to return,” Carpenter said.
“As of now, we’re uncertain how many races Josef will have to miss – if any at all. We’ve not had those conversations with his doctors just yet.”
Hildebrand will be the only ECR driver to test at Road America due to the Firestone tire test rules that allow on one car per team, the same applies to next Monday’s Watkins Glen test.
“For sure my expectation is that Josef will be back and ready for action before we know it,” Hildebrand said. “For him and the team this is an important stretch, so my role is going to be to bridge the gap as seamlessly as possible while hopefully building on what they’ve already started this year.
“For me, I think it helps that I know Josef and the team quite well…. Plus Road America will be an awesome place to drive the car! So whether it’s just the Wednesday test or it turns out to be more than that, I’ll continue to be prepared and work closely with everyone – including Josef – to be dialed in.”
Newgarden’s championship hopes hinder on his speedy return, as he currently sits fourth in the championship standings.
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