NASCAR News, Latest Rumors 2016: Will Power Misdiagnosed with Concussion
Will Power was not allowed to participate during the weekend's IndyCar opener after he was misdiagnosed with a concussion. The IndyCar Series driver was instead feeling the symptoms of an inner ear infection that included dizziness, headaches, and nausea.
The team revealed via The Associated Press that the University of Miami's Concussion Program refuted the earlier diagnosis. According to the doctors who examined Power, the severe nausea may have been related to his "lingering inner ear infection."
Before he was removed from Sunday's race lineup, he manifested signs that he wasn't in good condition. First, he crashed in a practice race two days prior to the season opener. After that, he complained of being sick right after winning the pole the day before the contest. He was then subjected to further examination by IndyCar officials before the start of the race and was diagnosed with a mild concussion.
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But the Australian motorsports driver wasn't disappointed with the misdiagnosis, saying that it could have been worse. "Obviously, I wanted to get in the car. On the other hand, if you've got a concussion, that's very concerning," he said. Team Penske President Tim Cindric couldn't agree more, saying that the 35-year old driver was simply too sick to drive and that they never even considered thinking it over. "With or without the diagnosis, he wasn't going to drive," Cindric told AP.
Last weekend's incident with Power is putting the Series' concussion protocol at the spotlight, inviting several questions and criticisms. The veteran driver was nowhere to be seen in or near the medical center right after the crash, but IndyCar rules actually don't require them to stay there, if they're involved in a road and street course crash. In Power's case, the crash wasn't that serious and didn't involve a major impact. As a matter of fact, there were no red flags raised and there were no initial signs of concussion during the mandatory 15-minute observation on the track at the time of the accident.
