Canapino, a 34-year-old driver from Argentina, was in the middle of some trouble this week because of things he said on social media. He denied that his supporters threatened other racers.
At the Detroit Grand Prix last weekend, Theo Pourchaire from Arrow McLaren had a crash with Canapino. This upset Canapino’s fans, who then attacked Pourchaire online.
Because of this, Arrow McLaren and JHR ended their partnership on Thursday. This partnership started last October.
Canapino won’t be racing this weekend on the 4.014-mile road course. Instead, Siegel will take his place. Siegel usually races in Indy NXT but didn’t make it to the Indy 500 because of a crash.
“The online abuse and harassment after what happened this week have been tough for Agustin, the team, and all the IndyCar fans. We have to think about Agustin’s safety and the other racers’ safety first,” said a press release from the team.
“Abuse, hate, and harassment in any form are bad for this sport. We need to make sure our drivers are mentally and physically ready to race.”
Brad Hollinger, co-owner of JHR, said, “Online abuse is not okay. Our drivers need to be ready in their minds and bodies when they race. We’re sad about what happened.”
We don’t know if Canapino will be back for the next race at Laguna Seca.
The release also said that “Juncos Hollinger Racing is working with IndyCar to make the racing community better for our fans, drivers, and team members. We want IndyCar to be a sport that welcomes everyone.”
Siegel has only raced once in the IndyCar Series before, at Long Beach where he finished 20th. He also raced in a non-points race at The Thermal Club.
Both races were with Dale Coyne Racing. His next scheduled race with them is in Toronto in July.
