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Esteban Gutierrez Secures Ride with Dale Coyne Racing for Remainder of 2017

By Asher Fair

May 13, 2017; Speedway, IN, USA; Verizon Indycar Series driver Sebastien Bourdais (18) drives through turn 7 during the warm up session before the Indycar Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
May 13, 2017; Speedway, IN, USA; Verizon Indycar Series driver Sebastien Bourdais (18) drives through turn 7 during the warm up session before the Indycar Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /
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Since Sebastien Bourdais suffered injuries in his Indianapolis 500 qualifying crash, Dale Coyne Racing has been searching for a full-time driver to take over his role for the rest of the 2017 season. Now, the team has its man with Esteban Gutierrez.

Dale Coyne Racing announced on Thursday that the full-time replacement for the rest of the 2017 season in the No. 18 Honda that Sebastien Bourdais drove full-time before his Indianapolis 500 qualifying crash (see below) will be Esteban Gutierrez.

Must Read: Sebastien Bourdais Out For The Season After Devastating Wreck

Gutierrez, 25, a former Formula One driver, has only ever driven in two career IndyCar races before. He drove in this season’s Dual in Detroit. In the first race, he qualified in 19th place and finished 19th. In the second race, he also qualified in 19th place, and he was able to finish in 14th.

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So far since Bourdais’ accident at Indy, the No. 18 car has seen a total of three replacement drivers. James Davison started 33rd (last) and led two laps at the Indy 500 before Gutierrez took over for the Dual in Detroit. At Texas, Tristan Vautier qualified 5th and led 15 laps before being involved in an eight-car wreck as an innocent bystander.

Of Bourdais’ three replacement drivers up to this point, Gutierrez is the one with the least amount of experience in IndyCar. He showed potential at Detroit and should be able to grow within the sport in this new full-time role for the final eight races of the season. In fact, had the past race not been held at the high-banked Texas Motor Speedway, Gutierrez may very well have already been named the full-time replacement. However, he was not approved to drive on the high banks of Texas since he has still never driven on an oval to this day.

Next: Sebastien Bourdais Wreck Illustrates the Rollercoaster Ride of IndyCar

How well do you think Esteban Gutierrez will perform in his first race as the official full-time replacement for Sebastien Bourdais at Road America? Be sure to follow me on Instagram as well as Beyond the Flag on both Instagram and Twitter. Also, don’t forget to follow along with Beyond the Flag for the latest news, opinions, and analysis stemming from a number of different motorsports series. You don’t want to miss any of it.