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Huertas out on Indy 500, Vautier in

 
Published May 23, 2015

INDIANAPOLIS — Carlos Huertas was ruled out of Sunday's Indianapolis 500 after failing a medical exam Friday, and Tristan Vautier was chosen to replace him in the No. 18 car for Dale Coyne Racing.

Dr. Terry Trammell, IndyCar's medical consultant, said that Huertas has a inner ear condition.

Vautier, a Frenchman living in St. Petersburg, qualified the No. 19 car for Coyne's team last week at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for Anthony Davison, who had another racing commitment during qualifying.

"It's really not the way you want to get back in a car," said Vautier, 25, who was in Chicago's O'Hare Airport, preparing to fly to England for an endurance race this weekend, when he was summoned back to Indianapolis.

Huertas had qualified 18th but because of the driver change, Vautier starts 32nd on Sunday.

Hinch healing: James Hinchcliffe was smiling and dressed in a hospital gown in his first photo since the brutal crash that knocked him out of the 500. He is sidelined indefinitely after surgery on a life-threatening leg injury that occurred when a broken piece of his suspension pierced his left thigh after a hard crash Monday.

Practice: Will Power (229.020) and pole-sitter Scott Dixon (228.585) posted the fastest laps in final practice at Indy.

NHRA: Antron Brown (Top Fuel), Chad Head (Funny Car) and Erica Enders (Pro Stock) led the first day of qualifying at the Kansas Nationals in Topeka.