Alex Tagliani laughs at the giant steering wheel his crew put in his car before he went out and won the pole for the NAPA Auto Parts 200 NASCAR Nationwide race Friday, August 17, 2012 at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal.Ryan Remiorz/The Canadian Press
Canadian driver Alex Tagliani has lost his ride with Barracuda Racing.
The team's owner, Bryan Herta Autosport, issued a statement Friday saying it will test Italian driver Luca Filippi in the No. 98 Barracuda Racing car for Wednesday's test at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
Tagliani, a Lachenaie, Que., native, was in the midst of a disappointing season with only two top-10 finishes for the single-car team. He was 10th at the Honda Indy Toronto earlier in the month, tying a season-best effort.
The 39-year-old will remain under contract to the team through the end of the 2013 season.
"It's never fun for a driver to not be in the car," Tagliani said on the Bryan Herta Autosport website. "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."