Jack Harvey not medically cleared for Barber Test, ex-F2 driver Juri Vips to stand in

Ex-Formula 2 driver Juri Vips will make his second IndyCar test with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing in five months Monday as the 22-year-old stands in for an injured Jack Harvey, the team announced. After being reevaluated by IndyCar's medical team Friday following his multi-car crash midway through the March 5 season-opener on the streets of St. Pete, Harvey was not medically cleared to take part in Monday's test at Barber Motorsports Park.

Why Jack Harvey didn't test with Rahal on Monday

The team didn't note the extent of Harvey's injuries in its release, though the IndyCar veteran said in a video posted to Twitter post-race that he initially had pain in both his wrists when trying to get out of the car with the help of the AMR Safety Team. NBC's broadcast of the race showed Harvey doubled over in pain while sitting on the back of an ambulance, and he was later taken to a local hospital "out of an abundance of caution" for additional evaluation.

Roughly two hours after that announcement, the team announced Harvey had been checked and released from Bayfront Medical Center. He later tweeted that he was "all good, nothing a little ice and a cold beer won't fix." The team said Monday that Harvey will be reevaluated on an undisclosed date ahead of IndyCar's next race at Texas Motor Speedway on April 2.

Harvey was collected in a Lap 41 crash at St. Pete in Turn 4 after Rinus VeeKay failed to make the corner and flew into the tire barrier. Running behind him, Harvey couldn't avoid making contact with the right side of the Ed Carpenter Racing driver, and a split-second later, Kyle Kirkwood slammed into the back of and then soared over the top of Harvey's No. 30 Honda machine.

IndyCar still has nearly three weeks until drivers and teams hit the track for the second race of the year -- with practice and qualifying for the first oval of the year April 1. Coincidentally, Harvey missed Texas a year ago after suffering a concussion during a practice crash the day before the race. Santino Ferrucci was called in last-minute to stand-in for Harvey and drove the car from the back of the grid up to 9th for RLL's best finish of the day. The missed start kicked off what was a tough introductory season at RLL for Harvey after leaving his longtime home, Meyer Shank Racing, to be part of RLL's expansion to three full-time cars. Harvey finished last among the team's three-car lineup in 10 of his 16 starts a year ago and never paced his new team in a race.

What to know about Rahal test driver Juri Vips

Vips, a one-time F1 test and reserve driver for Red Bull Racing and member of Red Bull's junior program, had his contract with the 2022 F1 Constructors Champions terminated after the 22-year-old used a racial slur during an online racing livestream. In a pair of full-time F2 seasons (2021-22), Vips finished 6th and 11th, respectively, with 11 podiums and three wins. He previously tested with RLL back on Oct. 12 at Sebring in an evaluation day for the prospective driver.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: IndyCar: Jack Harvey not medically cleared for test, Juri Vips to sub