BRASELTON, Ga. (AP) — Chip Ganassi Racing suffered a setback even before the start of the Petit Le Mans when star driver Kevin Magnussen was pulled from the lineup because of illness.

Magnussen qualified the Cadillac and was scheduled to start the 10-hour endurance race Saturday at Road Atlanta. Instead, he was replaced by Earl Bamber in the lineup.

The Ganassi team did not disclose what was ailing the Danish driver.

Magnussen is moving to the Peugeot sports car program next season, and Bamber already has been announced as one of three new full-time drivers to join Ganassi’s team in 2022. With Magnussen out, Bamber got an early start on his new job and was able to turn laps in Saturday morning’s warmup ahead of the race.

Bamber will be part of the lineup at Road Atlanta that includes Renger van der Zande and Scott Dixon.

“I was just saying to the guys I was about to enjoy a nice breakfast and now I am getting suited for the warmup,” Bamber said early Saturday. “This all happened in about the last hour. I have to say thanks to the Chip Ganassi Racing team for putting the trust in me to jump into the car.”

Bamber tested at Road Atlanta with Ganassi last month.

The No. 31 Cadillac of Action Express Racing will start from the pole Saturday afternoon and only must finish ahead of Wayne Taylor Racing to win the IMSA championship. The season finale will decide the championships in five different classes.

Felipe Nasr led Action Express in Friday qualifying to win the pole and earn the valuable points in the championship race. Prior to winning the pole, Action Express needed to beat Wayne Taylor Racing by two positions to win the title; now it is a head-to-head competition.

It is the final race with the team for Nasr, who is moving to an unannounced program next season. He was emotional after winning the pole.

“I promised myself that I wouldn’t let the emotions come until after the checkered flag drops,” Nasr said. “That shows how much respect and love I have for the team. There is so much on the line and you just want to deliver.

“They took me in as family when I joined halfway through 2017. They’re just a big family to me. It will be sad to leave them.”

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