On Tuesday, April 14, Chip Ganassi Racing Teams announced their plans for the No. 8 Chevrolet for the rest of the Verizon IndyCar Series season. The entry will be split between Sage Karam and Sebastian Saavedra.
“We’ve been committed to Sage and to running the No. 8 car in the full Verizon IndyCar Series season since day one, and this plan reflects our continued investment in the series and in the team,” team owner Chip Ganassi said. “Sage continues to grow his race craft in his development role with us, and we look forward to having both he and Sebastian contribute to the No. 8 team moving forward this season.”
Sebastian Saavedra will drive the No. 8 AFS Chevrolet in this weekend’s Grand Prix of Long Beach, as well as the Grand Prix of Indianapolis and Sonoma. The Columbian driver will also run the Indianapolis 500 through a fifth entry overseen by CGRT. The announcement comes forward via a partnership with AFS Racing and Automatic Fire Sprinklers, Incorporated.
“It’s good to be back in the Verizon IndyCar Series,” Saavedra commented. “This is an amazing opportunity for me with AFS to work with one of the most prestigious teams in all of racing. I’m very grateful to Chip and the team, which have had an incredible history in the sport, and specifically in the Indianapolis 500. I’m looking forward to Long Beach and doing everything I can to help get the No. 8 car to the front.”
The 24-year-old began racing in the United States in 2009 in the Indy Lights Racing Series with Andretti Green Racing, capturing a pair of wins. He made his Indianapolis 500 debut in 2010 with Bryan Herta Autosport and has 33 starts to his credit, including a pole in last year’s inaugural Grand Prix of Indianapolis.
“I’m excited about this coming together quickly with the Ganassi No. 8 entry,” Gary Peterson, the owner of AFS Racing, said. “It looks to be a great alignment between AFS Racing, Chip Ganassi Racing Teams and Sebastian Saavedra. My heart has always been in racing and it will be great to see Sebastian have the chance he deserves with a great team. With the opportunities being limited for AFS, we had planned to sit this season out until this fantastic opportunity!”
Verizon IndyCar Series Rookie of the Year candidate Sage Karam ran the car in the first two events of the season, and will drive the car at the Honda Grand Prix of Alabama, the Indianapolis 500 and the rest of the races following Indianapolis until Sonoma Raceway.
“I’m grateful to Chip and the team for their ongoing commitment to me, and I can’t wait to get back in the car at Barber,” Karam said. “I just take things one day at a time and nothing has really changed for me since I started as a development driver here– when Chip calls, I’m ready to go race.”
The former Indy Lights Champion signed a multi-year developmental contract with Chop Ganassi Racing last season and ran the Indianapolis 500 last year, finishing ninth. The first two events of the year unfortunately haven’t gone as he would’ve liked, though, with struggles.
