Weather 
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
It’s a big weekend for IndyCar with the series’ race at Nashville Superspeedway on Sunday getting a big lead-in from the FIFA World Cup final, but it got off to a scary start thanks to a big crash for Team Penske’s David Malukas that has ruled him out of Saturday’s qualifying session.
Malukas, who is in his first season behind the wheel of the No. 12 Chevrolet, lost the rear of his car mid-corner and went left rear first into the SAFER barrier during practice on Saturday morning.
It was a heavy impact that destroyed the rear of Malukas’ car.
INDYCAR ANNOUNCES START TIME FOR HIGHLY ANTICIPATED FREEDOM 250 GRAND PRIX ON THE STREETS OF WASHINGTON, DC
That was obviously the end of Malukas’ practice session, and he was reported to be “awake, alert, and in good spirits.”
But a little bit later, it was revealed that Malukas had been taken to a local hospital for further testing and evaluation.
IndyCar vet Conor Daly has since been tapped to take over Malukas’ car for qualifying. However, his status for Saturday evening’s practice and Sunday’s race, the Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix, remains unclear.
TRUMP TOUTS INDYCAR DRIVERS’ ‘SPECIAL’ ABILITY AT FREEDOM 250 GRAND PRIX SHOWCASE, SEEMINGLY ENDING HOT DEBATE
Interestingly, Malukas was already set to serve a nine-place grid penalty due to an unapproved engine change.
Now, with the car needing major repairs after the crash, if it’s ready for qualifying, Daly’s job will be to perform a shakedown run to ensure it’s ready to go for the rest of the weekend regardless of who is in it.
Even after qualifying had gotten underway, the team was still working to put the car together, with the added consideration that if Daly drives in qualifying, he will have to drive the rest of the weekend, even if Malukas is healthy enough to return.
SIGN UP TO GET THE LATEST SPORTS NEWS
Malukas is currently sitting in fourth place in the championship standings, 66 points behind leader Alex Palou, and has performed well in his first season with one of the series’ premier teams.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
While he’s still chasing his first win, the 24-year-old from Chicago has one pole, five top fives, and 9 top tens on the year, including a second-place finish in this year’s Indianapolis 500.
This week, Malukas was one of three drivers — along with Palou and Indy 500 winner Felix Rosenqvist — who visited the White House ahead of the Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, DC.
