Ganassi gives Saavedra seat time in No. 8, to run fifth car in Indy 500

Saavedra will take over the No. 8 car previously driven by Karam for Long Beach this weekend, backed by AFS Racing and Automatic Fire Sprinklers. 

According to a release from the team, Saavedra will also pilot the car at Sonoma and the GP of Indy. CGRT plans to enter him in a fifth car for the Indianapolis 500, while Karam returns to the seat of the No. 8 for that race. He finished ninth in his 500 debut last year.

Karam is also slated to run the balance of the season until the series heads to Sonoma. The 20-year-old has had a rough start to the year, finishing 19th and 18th in the first two rounds of the season at St. Petersburg and NOLA respectively.

“This is an amazing opportunity for me with AFS to work with one of the most prestigious teams in all of racing," said Saavedra.

"I'm very grateful to Chip and the team, which have had an incredible history in the sport, and specifically in the Indianapolis 500. I’m looking forward to Long Beach and doing everything I can to help get the No. 8 car to the front.”

Karam added: “I’m grateful to Chip and the team for their ongoing commitment to me, and I can’t wait to get back in the car at Barber.

"I just take things one day at a time and nothing has really changed for me since I started as a development driver here – when Chip calls, I’m ready to go race.”

Team owner Chip Ganassi commented: “We’ve been committed to Sage and to running the No. 8 car in the full Verizon IndyCar Series season since day one, and this plan reflects our continued investment in the series and in the team.

"Sage continues to grow his race craft in his development role with us, and we look forward to having both he and Sebastian contribute to the No. 8 team moving forward this season.”