Agustín Canapino is taking a ‘leave of absence’ from the IndyCar Series and the Juncos Hollinger Racing No. 78 this weekend for the Grand Prix at Road America.
As a result, Indy NXT driver Nolan Siegel will drive the entry instead.
Canapino has been involved in a controversy of sorts following an incident over the weekend in the Grand Prix of Detroit, where he was run into by Theo Pourchaire on Lap 60 in the Turn 3 braking zone. Pourchaire of Arrow McLaren Racing claims fans of Canapino sent him death threats, an assertion supported by the team, with Canapino suggesting that the claims were overblown and that Argentinian sports fans are ‘passionate and euphoric.’
Canapino liked several tweets making light or dismissing Pourchaire’s claims, despite both McLaren and Juncos Hollinger issuing a statement denouncing online abuse. The lack of seriousness expressed by Canapino led to McLaren severing its strategic alliance with Juncos Hollinger.
Canapino told an Argentinian motorsports outlet on Thursday that he felt uneasy about attending the race event this weekend at Road America over online abuse he has received in exchange for his reaction to the event.
Now, a leave of absence, as detailed in a Juncos Hollinger press release:
The growth of online abuse and harassment resulting from the events of this week have led to a very difficult experience for Agustin, the team and the entire INDYCAR fan base, and the safety of Agustin and the rest of the competitors has to be considered first and foremost. Abuse, hatred, and harassment in any form is a detriment to this sport, and we must prioritize the mental and physical wellbeing of both our drivers and our competition.
“Online abuse is unacceptable, and we need to ensure that our drivers are prepared both mentally and physically when they get in the car,” said Brad Hollinger, Co-Owner of Juncos Hollinger Racing.
“We are saddened by the events that led to this scenario.”
Juncos Hollinger Racing
What’s strange about the decision is that Canapino is on site at Road America and seemed poised to race this weekend until whatever sequence of events led to this decision.
Siegel has made two other IndyCar Series starts after contesting the non-points Million Dollar Challenge at The Thermal Club and the Long Beach Grand Prix, both with Dale Coyne Racing. He also failed to qualify into the Indianapolis 500.
Matt Weaver is a Motorsports Insider for Sportsnaut. Follow him on Twitter.