Super sub: Vautier fills in for Huertas in Indy 500

By Dave Lewandowski | Published: May 22, 2015

Tristan Vautier

Indianapolis 500 Mile Race starting lineup

Tristan Vautier, who substituted for JD Davison in the No. 19 Dale Coyne Racing Honda in Indianapolis 500 qualifications May 17, will substitute for Carlos Huertas in the No. 18 Dale Coyne Racing entry in the 99th Running of the 500 Mile Race on May 24.

Huertas has been ruled out of the race with an inner ear condition, according to INDYCAR medical consultant Dr. Terry Trammell. Huertas will have to undergo further evaluation before being cleared to return to Verizon IndyCar Series competition.

Huertas was scheduled to start on the outside of Row 6. 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.

Huertas, who recorded his initial Verizon IndyCar Series victory at Houston last June, has a best finish of 16th in the Indy Grand Prix of Louisiana at NOLA Motorsports Park in mid-April.

In his lone Indy 500 appearance in 2013, Vautier advanced 12 positions relative to his starting spot to finish fifth in a Schmidt Peterson Motorsports car. The 2013 Verizon IndyCar Series Rookie of the Year and 2012 Indy Lights champion filled in for Davison, who had a sports car race commitment in Canada. Davison will start 33rd and Vautier will start 32nd based on entrant points.

Vautier was scheduled to compete this weekend in the Blancpain Endurance GT Series event at Silverstone, co-driving a Ferrari 458 Italia for Akka ASP. The team "was very understanding," Vautier said, and agreed to field a replacement driver. He was asked May 20 by Dale Coyne Racing to stand by.

"It has been a roller coaster of emotions," Vautier said. "It's not really the way you want to get back in the car, honestly. I think Carlos deserves to be racing because he did a really good job in qualifying and in practice. Obviously, you can't help but be excited to start your second Indy 500. With one hour of practice, we made the most out of it we could and we'll be ready for the race."

Indianapolis Motor Speedway historian Donald Davidson said one driver qualifying one car and driving another in a race hasn't occurred since the World War II years, but occurred occasionally in the first 30 years of the race.