INDIANAPOLIS — Carlos Huertas was ruled out of the Indianapolis 500 two days before the race after he was diagnosed with an “inner ear condition” and failed to pass a medical exam.
Dr. Terry Trammell, IndyCar’s medical consultant, said in a statement Friday that the 23-year-old Huertas will need further evaluation before being cleared to return to competition.
The exact nature of his condition was not disclosed.
Huertas had qualified on the outside of Row 6 for Dale Coyne Racing for Sunday’s 99th running of the Indy 500. The team had yet to announce his replacement, though Tristan Vautier is considered the likely choice. He would have to start 32nd in the 33-car field.
Huertas had a roller-coaster season a year ago. He won for the first time at the Grand Prix of Houston and made his Indy 500 debut, finishing 17th for team owner Dale Coyne. But he also pulled out of races at Iowa and Fontana with what was only reported as illnesses.
The Colombian started the first two races of the season at St. Petersburg and New Orleans, but there’s been a revolving door of drivers in the No. 18 car ever since then.
Rocky Moran Jr. took over at Long Beach, only to break his thumb in practice and get replaced by Conor Daly. Then at Alabama, Rodolfo Gonzalez stepped into the car to make his IndyCar debut.
Despite the last-minute substitution, Vautier would be able to get up to speed quickly.
For one thing, he’s been in Indianapolis to qualify the No. 19 for James Davison, who had a sports car conflict last weekend. And while Vautier has not started an IndyCar race since the 2013 finale, he did compete in that year’s Indy 500, finishing 16th for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports.
Huertas is the second driver to be replaced this week.
On Thursday, Schmidt Peterson announced that veteran Ryan Briscoe would step into the No. 5 car for James Hinchcliffe, who was involved in a devastating practice wreck earlier in the week.
Briscoe will also have to start at the back of the field.
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