Juncos Hollinger Racing reported this Friday that Argentine Agustín Canapino will not race in the IndyCar Series round at Road America, despite the fact that he was at the circuit earlier today and participated in the usual autograph signing session with fans.
“Juncos Hollinger Racing (JHR) announces that due to the increase in abuse and harassment on social media resulting from events that are publicly known, driver Agustin Canapino will take a leave of absence for this weekend’s Xpel Grand Prix,” reported the equipment.
“His replacement in car #78 will be driver Nolan Siegel. At JHR we prioritize the physical and mental well-being of both our drivers and our competitors,” added the organization that leads Ricardo Juncos.
“Online abuse is unacceptable, and we need to ensure our drivers are prepared both mentally and physically when they get in the car. We are saddened by the events that led to this scenario,” he said. Brad Hollingerco-owner of Juncos Hollinger Racing.
Juncos Hollinger Racing added that it is working directly with IndyCar management “to create a better community for our fans, drivers and team members, coming together to make IndyCar a welcome sport for all.”
Agustin Canapino, Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet
Photo by: Phillip Abbott / Motorsport Images
Canapino had been in the middle of a strong controversy since last weekend when he was crashed by Arrow McLaren’s Theo Pourchaire in the competition held in Detroit.
The rookie French driver claimed to have received hate messages and death threats after the race via social media, presumably from Argentine fans, prompting Juncos Racing and Arrow McLaren to make a joint statement on the Monday after the event.
On Tuesday of this week, Canapino released his own statement in which he claimed to be “against abuse and hatred. Of course those who do so are not part of or welcome in our community,” while asking that it not become generalized. to all Argentine fans alike.
The Arrecifes pilot added: “I have not yet seen a single death threat to those who were accused of receiving them, from last year until today, no one who is in their right mind would do that, it is outrageous that this is accused so lightly and “I am not going to allow it again, that is why I am making this statement.”
As a result of the events that occurred after the incident in the race, Arrow McLaren and Juncos ended the commercial partnership that they had begun in October last year.
Canapino had taken part in every IndyCar Series competition since debuting last year at the season opener in St. Petersburg. The Argentine driver’s best result in the category is 12th, a position he has obtained four times, the most recent last weekend in Detroit.
Siegel, for his part, races full-time in the NXT Indy Series and will contest his second points race in IndyCar after having debuted in April of this year with the Dale Coyne team in Long Beach, where he finished 20th after starting the competition from the 27th and last position. He had also taken part in the event at Thermal Club for the same team, and plans to race in the Toronto event next July.
As for Canapino, it is unknown if the multiple Argentine champion will return to IndyCar when the series visits Laguna Seca in two weeks.
