Power cleared to drive

Will Power happy to be cleared to drive

Will Power, whose No. 12 Verizon Team Penske car made hard contact with the Turn 2 SAFER Barrier June 25 at Iowa Speedway during the Iowa Corn Indy 250 presented by Pioneer, has been cleared to drive by the INDYCAR medical staff.

Power will join Team Penske teammates Helio Castroneves and Ryan Briscoe at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on June 29 for a test session. The IZOD IndyCar Series visits the road course, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary, for the Honda Indy 200 on Aug. 7.

The test is open to the public from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (ET). Spectators can enter through Gate 3 and watch from the Keyhole or infield.

Power also will join Pippa Mann, who will compete in three races for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, on the 1.056-mile New Hampshire Motor Speedway oval for testing July 5.

Other test dates upcoming include Target Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti at Sebring International Raceway on June 30.

Mid-Ohio will be busy July 28 with A.J. Foyt Racing's Vitor Meira, Ed Carpenter of Sarah Fisher Racing, Graham Rahal of Service Central Chip Ganassi Racing, JR Hildebrand of National Guard Panther Racing, and Franchitti and Dixon testing. Franchitti won the 2010 race at Mid-Ohio.

On July 29, Dale Coyne Racing’s James Jakes will be on the Mid-Ohio course.

Per INDYCAR rules, Power took the ImPACT (Immediate Post-concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing) test and was re-evaluated.

Because race car drivers are susceptible to concussions and other head and neck injuries during crashes, baseline testing is an important part of INDYCAR's medical evaluation process. The ImPACT procedure measures a driver’s cognitive abilities under normal, healthy conditions. This information establishes the driver’s baseline testing data.

Before competing in an IZOD IndyCar Series event, drivers are required to establish their baseline data by performing the 30-minute, computerized ImPACT test, measuring a range of neurocognitive functions including memory, reaction time, attention span and other cognitive abilities.

If a driver suffers a head injury, doctors will perform the test again and compare the results to the driver’s baseline, significantly improving the ability to diagnose the severity of the injury and better prescribe treatment.

"It was definitely a hard hit," said Power, who was credited with 21st place and trails championship points leader Dario Franchitti by 20 entering the Honda Indy Toronto on July 10. IndyCar.com