Dale Coyne Racing announced late Thursday night that Tristan Vautier will substitute for Carlos Huertas in the No. 18 Dale Coyne Racing entry in the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday.
Vautier only has one previous Indianapolis 500 appeanrace – finishing fifth for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports in 2013. He was the 2013 Verizon IndyCar Series Rookie of the Year.
“It has been a roller coaster of emotions,” Vautier commented. “With one hour of practice, we made the most out of it we could and we’ll be ready for the race.
Huertas was ruled out of contention due to an inner condition, according to INDYCAR medical consultant Dr. Terry Trammell.
The No. 18 DCR ride was scheduled to start on the outside of row six, but Vautier will start 32nd based on entrant points, according to Rules 8.1.8.6 and 8.1.8.6.1 of the Verizon IndyCar Series rulebook.