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Tristan Vautier will return to IndyCar at Texas for Dale Coyne Racing

By Brittany Frederick

Jul 18, 2015; Newton, IA, USA; IndyCar Series driver Tristan Vautier (19) during qualifying for the Iowa Corn 300 at Iowa Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 18, 2015; Newton, IA, USA; IndyCar Series driver Tristan Vautier (19) during qualifying for the Iowa Corn 300 at Iowa Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports /
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Tristan Vautier will be the fourth driver of the No. 18 Dale Coyne Racing car in IndyCar’s next race after Esteban Gutierrez wasn’t cleared for Texas.

Tristan Vautier will return to IndyCar on Saturday,as the driver of the No. 18 Dale Coyne Racing entry in the Rainguard Water Sealers 600 at Texas. He’s the third different driver for the car in four races.

Vautier replaces Esteban Gutierrez, who was supposed to drive at Texas,but won’t be permitted to do so by IndyCar. As Racer reported, Gutierrez has zero experience racing on an oval track such as Texas Motor Speedway.

However, he will be allowed back in the car for the June 25 race at Road America. Below is the statement from IndyCar’s President of Competition and Operations, Jay Frye, on Gutierrez’s status per Racer:

"Esteban isn’t approved to run Texas because he has no oval-track experience and there’s no time to test him between now and Friday. We have an approval process for ovals and it’s as simple as that. He did a nice job at Detroit and we’re excited about his future and hope to see him at Elkhart Lake."

That means Tristan Vautier’s return to IndyCar and to Dale Coyne Racing may be as simple as just keeping Gutierrez’s seat filled. Vautier ran a second car for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports in 2013 after winning the 2012 Indy Lights championship.

However, his freshman campaign was a struggle, and Vautier finished 20th on the year with just one top 10 result. A partial season with Coyne in 2015 was better, including a fourth-place finish at Detroit and sixth at Mid-Ohio, but the Frenchman hasn’t been seen in IndyCar since. Now he’ll be racing under the lights at Texas.

Tristan Vautier is the fourth driver for the No. 18 this year. Following the injury to Sebastien Bourdais, the car has been piloted by James Davison in Indianapolis and Gutierrez in Detroit.

Next: Steve Arpin gets first win for Loenbro at GRC New England

The Rainguard Water Sealers 600 takes place this Saturday, June 10 at Texas Motor Speedway. For the latest IndyCar news, follow the Motor Sports category at FanSided here.