INDIANAPOLIS -- Vitor Meira will drive for A.J. Foyt Racing in the 2009 IndyCar Series.
The 31-year-old Brazilian has yet to win in 93 series starts, but he has finished second in the Indianapolis 500 twice. He was runner-up to Dan Wheldon in 2005 and to Scott Dixon this year.
Meira drove the past three years for Panther Racing, which earlier this week hired Wheldon.
Wheldon, in turn, had been bumped from his ride with Chip Ganassi racing to make room for Dario Franchitti, the 2007 Indy 500 winner who is returning to the IndyCar series after a less-than-successful year in NASCAR.
At Foyt Racing, Meira replaces Darren Manning, who drove for Foyt the past two years without a win. Meira will make his debut with Foyt next month in a non-points race at Surfer's Paradise, Australia.
Foyt was a four-time winner at Indianapolis as a driver and the owner of the car that Kenny Brack drove to victory at Indy in 1999.
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