Luca Filippi will drive the No. 98 Barracuda Racing car during the IZOD IndyCar Series Open Test on July 31 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course as the team evaluates options for the 2014 season and beyond.

"We're taking this opportunity to evaluate our program as we look toward the future,” team co-owner Bryan Herta said. “It makes sense at this point to look at the available pool of drivers that may fit into our future plans. We want to thank Alex (Tagliani) for being a team player during the process and we look forward to seeing what Luca can do during the test in Mid-Ohio."

Tagliani, the team’s driver since it became a full-time competitor in 2012, will step out of the car but will remain under contract to the team through the end of the season. 

"It's never fun for a driver to not be in the car," Tagliani said.  "But I see the benefit in racing in a team with a teammate as opposed to being a single-car team. In this sport, things can turn around quickly."

Filippi is a veteran of GP2 and a former Formula One test driver for Honda.  He started racing in the GP2 in 2006. In his second year, he finished fourth in the championship. Two years later, he finished fifth in the championship and then went on to earn second place in the GP2 Asia Series in 2010. In 2011, he finished second in both the GP2 Series (with three wins and four podiums) and the Auto GP (with one win and six podiums).

"I've been working and waiting for a chance like this my whole life," said Filippi, of Italy. "I can't wait to test the No. 98 Barracuda Racing car and hopefully make the most of this opportunity to learn first-hand about IndyCar racing."

The Open Test precedes the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio on Aug. 2-4.