INDYCAR: Power’s crash clouds title fight

Will Power's clash with Charlie Kimball on lap 38 of Sunday's Watkins Glen IndyCar race has placed a giant question mark over how the race for the championship will play out on Sept. 18 at Sonoma Raceway.

Diagnosed with concussion-like symptoms by IndyCar's medical staff, the Team Penske driver was released from the infield care center after his hard meeting with the barrier, but was not cleared to drive.

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As the only driver with left with a chance to overtake teammate Simon Pagenaud in the championship, all thoughts were with the Australian, his speedy recovery, and hopeful clearance to drive at the season finale.

"I saw him; he's total normal Will Power, he seems OK, glad he was OK," Pagenaud said after the race. "It's never great to hear any concerns on health. Just glad he's all right. I'm not a doctor so I can't say what's next, but just glad he's alright because I want to take this fight to Sonoma."

Unlike some sports where a minimum numbers of days must pass before an athlete is eligible to return to action, IndyCar's Immediate Post-concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT) program is activated and the driver can be tested in whatever time frame is suitable based on the pace of his or her recovery.

Power, who is 43 points behind Pagenaud in the championship, has a test at Sonoma Raceway on Thursday, Sept. 8, and the season finale at the same venue begins on Sept. 16. The championship itself will be decided on Sunday, Sept. 18, provided Power is cleared to drive. If he is not allowed to drive due to lingering concussion symptoms, Pagenaud would be guaranteed his first Verizon IndyCar Series title.

In the coming days, and if a concussion is confirmed, per the ImPACT prototcol, Power will have four hurdles to clear before driving becomes an option:
1: The concussed driver shall be instructed to avoid any activities that aggravate symptoms of a concussion.
2: Once no concussion symptoms are present, the driver is to begin light exercises. If no concussion symptoms arise, the driver is advised to progressively increase the intensity of the workout, provided there is no recurrence of concussion symptoms.
3: When the driver has returned to his/her normal exercise ability without the recurrence of concussion symptoms, the INDYCAR Medical Director will arrange for the driver to take the ImPACT test where he/she is required to demonstrate no significant loss of neurocognitive function compared to baseline test results.
4: Prior to being permitted to return to on-track competition, the driver will be subject to a final evaluation by the INDYCAR Medical Director. Once the driver returns to on-track competition, he/she is subject to subsequent evaluations as requested by the INDYCAR Medical Director. Additionally, team personnel are responsible for reporting any reappearance of concussion signs or symptoms to INDYCAR's Medical Director.