Veteran Italian race car driver Giorgio Pantano will fill in for Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing driver Charlie Kimball in the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio this weekend.
Kimball fractured the fifth metacarpal in his right hand in a testing incident at the road course July 26.
Evaluation in Indianapolis revealed Kimball would not be ready to return for the 85-lap race on the 2.258-mile, 13-turn road course.
Pantano, the 2008 GP2 series' champion competed in three late-season road/street races for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing in 2011 (best finish of 16th at Twin Ring Motegi) as a substitute for the injured Justin Wilson.
He made his first two starts in the IZOD IndyCar Series with Chip Ganassi Racing in 2005 at Sonoma and Watkins Glen (started second, finished fourth).
Kimball fractured the fifth metacarpal in his right hand in a testing incident at the road course July 26.
Evaluation in Indianapolis revealed Kimball would not be ready to return for the 85-lap race on the 2.258-mile, 13-turn road course.
Pantano, the 2008 GP2 series' champion competed in three late-season road/street races for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing in 2011 (best finish of 16th at Twin Ring Motegi) as a substitute for the injured Justin Wilson.
He made his first two starts in the IZOD IndyCar Series with Chip Ganassi Racing in 2005 at Sonoma and Watkins Glen (started second, finished fourth).