Josef Newgarden was cleared for Saturday’s IndyCar race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway after being reevaluated by doctors after Friday morning practice.
The two-time series champion collapsed in his own home and was taken to the hospital after he hit his head following a crash during last weekend’s race in Iowa. Newgarden was leading the race and was in position to sweep the Iowa two-headed killer when his suspension appeared to break, sending him slamming into the wall.
He was initially cleaned at the in-house care center.
Series officials allowed Newgarden to practice on Thursday – with the stipulation that he would be retested between practice and qualifying. After practice, IndyCar announced that Newgarden had been cleared for all racing activities.
The famous 31-year-old from Tennessee registered for the second fastest lap in Friday’s practice before qualifying fifth for Saturday’s race.
Newgarden won the best four races this season and came in third with Scott Dixon on the leaderboard, 34 points less Marcus Ericsson of Sweden. Ericsson won the Indy 500 this year.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
