Dale Coyne Racing has confirmed that Tristan Vautier will race in the #18 Honda this weekend when IndyCar visits Texas Motor Speedway in place of Esteban Gutierrez.
Recent Formula 1 driver Gutierrez made his IndyCar debut in Detroit last weekend, but was unable to complete an oval rookie test ahead of Saturday night's race in Texas, meaning the series could not approve his entry.
Coyne was left searching for a driver to step in for the Mexican - who was already hired as a replacement for the injured Sebastien Bourdais - and agreed a deal with Vautier, who made his last IndyCar start at Texas two years ago.
"I'm really looking forward to getting back in an Indy car and race for Dale again," Vautier said. "But before talking about me stepping in, let's all keep sending our thoughts to [Sebastien Bourdais] for a quick recovery. I was happy to see him at the track at Indy on race day. I have big shoes to fill.
"That being said, I really can't wait to be in the car on Friday and see how it feels that first lap around. It's not the easiest place to step back in and practice is going to be very limited, but the team has been competitive everywhere, and I trust we'll be good. It's going to be cool working with the whole team again, and also with [engineer] Craig Hampson who I met in Le Mans when I was 16 and just getting started in racing."
