Two drivers have been assessed grid penalties for this weekend’s Music City Grand Prix in Nashville.
IndyCar officiating announced the penalties on Saturday morning, with both driver falling foul of the engine use rule.
Christian Lundgaard and David Malukas are the two drivers affected, with both taking on a new Chevy engine for the weekend.
The series only allows each entry to use four engines during the entire season without penalty.
Both the #7 Arrow McLaren Chevy and the #12 Team Penske Chevy had already used up their allocation before fitting a new engine prior to this weekend.
As a result, Christian Lundgaard will start nine positions lower than he qualifies.
Malukas’ #12 will be assessed nine positions worth of penalties as well, even though a heavy crash in opening practice damaged the brand new equipment.
The Team Penske crew prepared a backup car following the incident, and fitted yet another new engine. The penalty for that engine will be assessed at the next event.
Separately, Malukas was taken to hospital following his crash and was not yet cleared to participate in the rest of the weekend as of two hours before qualifying.
If another driver takes over driving duties of the #12, that person will be assessed the grid drop as the penalty is technically applied to the entry itself.
Qualifying for the Music City Grand Prix takes place at 2:00 PM central time on Saturday afternoon.
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