Oliver Askew replaces Felix Rosenqvist in Detroit Race 2 after Swede hospitalized following nasty crash

DETROIT – Exactly eight months to the day after Arrow McLaren SP announced Oliver Askew wouldn't return to the No. 7 IndyCar entry for the 2021 campaign — following a tumultuous rookie season in the car — the 24-year-old will fill in for his replacement in Sunday's Race 2 of the Detroit Grand Prix.

Saturday, AMSP's 2020-21 offseason addition Felix Rosenqvist endured a brutal one-car crash that has placed him in DMC Detroit Receiving Hospital overnight for "evaluation by the trauma and neurological services". According to an earlier team release, Rosenqvist did not suffer any "life or limb threatening injuries," adding he continues to "remain awake and alert."

On Lap 25 of Race 1 Saturday, Rosenqvist suffered what the team deemed "a singular, non-recurrent mechanical fault" unrelated to driver error or anything related to Chevy systems and software — including the throttle system. The failure left Rosenqvist entering Turn 6 with no way to slow down immediately and avoid the track's outer wall.

The Swedish driver nailed the tire barrier head-on. The impact knocked over one section of the concrete barrier that's held together with steel wiring. It also sent tires falling over the fence after Rosenqvist's car plowed through six stacks of them, leaving his car at a 45-degree angle leaning against a catch fence.

Immediately following the impact, Rosenqvist appeared 'awake and alert' in his cockpit from in-car video shown on the NBC broadcast. The AMR safety team extricated him from the vehicle, fitted him with a neck brace and then rolled him into an ambulance on a stretcher.

"Following his crash during the race, Felix Rosenqvist received an initial evaluation at the infield care center at Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix," Billows said in the statement. "He was then transferred to Detroit Receiving Hospital for advanced imaging and evaluation by the trauma and neurological services. Evaluation revealed no life or limb threatening injuries, he remains awake and alert, he will be observed overnight prior to discharge from the hospital.”

More on Race 1 in Detroit:

• Rosenqvist 'awake and alert' after massive 1-car crash that forced red flag at Detroit

• Marcus Ericsson grabs first IndyCar win after Will Power's car overheats in Detroit

After the statement was released, Rosenqvist tweeted: "I'm doing ok, except a lot of soreness! Thanks for all the messages and to the IndyCar medical staff for looking after me. What a race we had going til that point, bummer...Big congrats to (Marcus Ericsson) on his first 'W', happy for you bro."

In 2020, Askew drove 12 of the season's 14 IndyCar races, which included three top-10s and a season-best 3rd-place in Race 1 at Iowa. Following a nasty collision with the inside wall of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway midway through during his first Indianapolis 500, Askew was deemed "not fit to drive" after running two more doubleheader weekends at WWT Raceway and Mid-Ohio. It was revealed the 2019 Indy Lights champion had suffered a concussion and continued suffering debilitating symptoms the following weeks, despite clearing IndyCar medical protocols immediately after his 500 crash.

Helio Castroneves filled in for Askew in the No. 7 for the Harvest Grand Prix doubleheader on the IMS road course Oct. 2-3. Just over a week later, AMSP announced that Askew would not return to the team in 2021, after his former representation put public pressure on AMSP not to release him for trying to drive through medical symptoms he was worried might cost him a ride in the series.

"I hope this does not become another case study of why athletes do not tell their teams they are injured," Askew's now-former agent Jeff Dickerson told AP last September. "The reason they do that is because more often times than not they are replaced. In motorsports, there is always somebody to replace you.

“I hope this is not a barrier to progress for other drivers — especially young drivers afraid of losing their job — to notify their teams they are hurt. I hope the team proves me wrong because the good news is, the kid has had a head injury for the past month and has still run 14th in IndyCar.”

Following the announcement that he would not return to the team in 2021, AMSP placed Askew back in his No. 7 seat for the 2020 season-finale at St. Pete.

“We believe that Oliver has a great deal of talent and potential for the future. He has had an incredibly difficult rookie years,” team co-owner Sam Schmidt said in the release. “Come the end of the year, we will wish Oliver the very best in all of his future endeavors and he will always be a friend of the team.”

Since then, Askew was part of the LMP3 class-winning team for the 2021 24 Hours of Daytona, tested in an Indy car for Andretti Autosport just one day later (subbing for James Hinchcliffe) and then was hired as part of Andretti's new IMSA endeavor with Jarett and Marco Andretti.

• More: Marco Andretti to join cousin Jarett in IMSA sportscar ride at Watkins Glen

Rosenqvist is expected to be discharged from the hospital Sunday morning, but it's unclear his status for next weekend's REV Group Grand Prix at Road America in Wisconsin June 20. Practice for the 9th race on the '21 IndyCar calendar is set for Friday, June 18.

Until then, Askew will be in the car Sunday morning for IndyCar's Firestone Fast 12 qualifying for Race 2 at 9 a.m., with the 70-lap event set for a green flag at 12:40 p.m.

Email IndyStar motor sports reporter Nathan Brown at nlbrown@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter: @By_NathanBrown.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: IndyCar: Oliver Askew replaces Felix Rosenqvist in Detroit after crash