INDYCAR has revealed that there is no evidence suggesting Will Power sustained a concussion in a crash during practice for the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg last weekend.
Power reported on Saturday after qualifying that he had not been feeling well, and had requested to sit out the session before going on to take pole position and break his own lap record twice.
Power was eventually ruled out of the race on Sunday, with Oriol Servia taking his place in the #12 Penske car.
INDYCAR announced that Power had arrived in St. Petersburg battling an inner-ear infection, and failed a Sports Concussion Assessment Tool (SCAT) test on the Sunday of the race when being asssessed by the series' medical staff.
However, after undergoing tests at the University of Miami, INDYCAR has today issued a statement confirming that there is "no definitive evidence" of a recent concussion.
"The 2014 Verizon IndyCar Series champion passed the Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT) test and a MRI/DVI study was normal in all parameters. Power was evaluated by a team of physicians specializing in concussions," the statement reads.
"Power has been cleared to return to Verizon IndyCar Series competition after sitting out race day on-track competition for the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on March 13."
INDYCAR safety consultant Dr. Terry Trammell said that Power's symptoms were likely to be the result of his ear infection and not the result of his crash in practice on Friday.
"The doctors at the University of Miami concluded Power's symptoms were not the result of a concussion, and may have been related to a lingering inner-ear infection for which he was being treated," Trammell said.
"There is no evidence that he sustained a concussion in the crash on Friday, which is consistent with his ear accelerometer data and the mandatory screening evaluation conducted after his crash.
"Given the nature of his inner-ear infection, it would have been extremely difficult for Will to pass the SCAT, which is what ultimately led to the concussion diagnosis.
"At the University of Miami they conducted a week's worth of testing in one day and Will was seen by multiple physicians. The doctors concluded definitively that Will had not sustained recent head trauma."
