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James Hinchcliffe
James hinchcliffe (51382773096) (cropped).jpg
Hinchcliffe at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2021
Nationality Canada Canadian
Born (1986-12-05) December 5, 1986 (age 38)
North York, Ontario, Canada
Racing licence FIA Gold Driver.png FIA Gold
Previous series
2009–10
2006–08
2006–07
2005
2004
Indy Lights
Atlantic Championship
A1 Grand Prix
Star Mazda Series
Formula BMW USA
Awards
2010
2011

2024
Greg Moore Legacy Award
IndyCar Rookie of the Year
Tony Renna Rising Star Award
CMHF Inductee
IndyCar Series career
161 races run over 11 years
2020 position 23rd
Best finish 8th (2012, 2013)
First race 2011 Indy Grand Prix of Alabama (Barber)
Last race 2021 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach (Long Beach)
First win 2013 Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg (St. Petersburg)
Last win 2018 Iowa Corn 300 (Iowa)
Wins Podiums Poles
6 18 1

James Douglas Meredith Hinchcliffe (born December 5, 1986) is a Canadian race car driver and commentator best known for competing in the IndyCar Series.

Hinchcliffe won six races for Andretti Autosport and Schmidt Peterson Motorsports.

In 2015, his first year driving for Schmidt Peterson, he suffered life-threatening blood loss in a crash while practicing for the Indianapolis 500. He would recover and win the pole position for the following year's race where he finished in sixth position.

Also, in 2016, he appeared on season 23 of the ABC series Dancing with the Stars, finishing in second place. He is often called by his nicknames "Hinch" and "the Mayor of Hinchtown".

Racing career

Early racing

Born in North York, Ontario, and raised in Oakville, Ontario, Hinchcliffe started his career when he received a go kart for his 9th birthday and began car racing in 2003, when he finished third in Bridgestone Racing Academy F2000 series. Next year, he was top rookie in Formula BMW USA, winning three races. In 2005, he raced in the Star Mazda Series, finishing third overall with three wins. In 2006 he moved to the Champ Car Atlantic Series with Forsythe Racing. He won one race at Portland and scored two other podiums, but was only able to finish 10th in the overall standings. Hinchcliffe also provided commentary for the Eurosport coverage of Champ Car events during the 2006 and 2007 seasons.

A1 Grand Prix

He then joined A1 Team Canada in A1 Grand Prix. He finished eighth in the sprint race and 13th in the feature in his first race at Zandvoort, then had a stunning weekend in Brno. He scored second in the sprint race at the Czech round and led the feature for the majority of the race, but clashed with eventual winner Alex Yoong which dropped him down to fifth. He raced next at the Beijing round, finishing fourth in the sprint race and 10th in the feature race – which he could have won but for a team pitstop strategy error – and then returned after two races out at the New Zealand round, where he finished sixth in both races.

Hinchcliffe once again raced in the Champ Car Atlantic Series in 2007, this time with the Sierra Sierra team. He finished fourth in points without a win. During the season he was also a guest commentator on the international feed for Champ Car races. He returned to Forsythe Racing for the 2008 Atlantic Championship season, again finishing fourth in points but this time capturing a win in the second race of the season at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

Firestone Indy Lights Series

For the 2009 season, he competed in Indy Lights for Sam Schmidt Motorsports in their No. 7 car. Hinchcliffe finished fourth in points without a win or pole position. In the 2010 season, he signed on with the less historically successful Team Moore Racing in their No. 2 entry. Hinchcliffe captured three wins and five more podium finishes on his way to second in the championship behind French rookie Jean-Karl Vernay who was driving the Schmidt No. 7 car.

He also served as the driver analyst for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network for the 2010 Indianapolis 500 as regular driver analyst Davey Hamilton was competing in the race.

IndyCar Series

Newman/Haas Racing (2011)

In April 2011, Hinchcliffe signed with Newman/Haas Racing to compete in the remainder of 2011 IndyCar Series, excluding the Twin Ring Motegi race, after missing the first race of the season at St. Petersburg. He made his debut at Barber Motorsports Park and failed to finish after making contact with a spinning E. J. Viso. He then picked up his first career Top 5 finish in just his second start in the series on the Streets of Long Beach with a fourth-place finish. Hinchcliffe then collected a top ten on the Streets of São Paulo in Brazil. He finished ninth. Hinchcliffe started 13th in his first Indianapolis 500, and ran up front for an early portion of the race before crashing on lap 101 and finishing 29th.

Following the Indy 500 was the Firestone Twin 275s in Texas. Hinchcliffe, however, struggled in both races and had finishes of 20th and 19th, respectively. Hinchcliffe then rebounded to collect his second Top 10 of the season with a sixth at the Milwaukee Mile. During the 2011 IZOD IndyCar World Championship on lap 12, he went veered down, making wheel-to-wheel contact with Wade Cunningham, which caused the latter to spin and collect various drivers, that would lead to various chain reactions, causing the death of Dan Wheldon. After the race was cancelled due to Wheldon's death, points were reset to how it was as of Kentucky, so Hinchcliffe collected Rookie of the Year Honors, just beating out Panther Racing's J. R. Hildebrand. However, after the 2011 IndyCar season it was announced that Newman/Haas Racing would not be returning to IndyCar making Hinchcliffe a free agent.

Andretti Autosport (2012–14)

Hinchcliffe 20120519
Hinchcliffe in 2013

On January 10, 2012, it was announced that Hinchcliffe would succeed Danica Patrick as the driver of the GoDaddy car for Andretti Autosport. The car was renumbered to No. 27, the same number used by Canadian drivers Gilles Villeneuve and Jacques Villeneuve. At the 2012 Indianapolis 500, Hinchcliffe qualified 2nd overall while carrying a pair of gloves inside his driving suit, that belonged to the late Greg Moore, whom Hinchcliffe considers the main reason why he got into racing. On race day, Hinchcliffe overtook pole-sitter Ryan Briscoe on the first lap, and ended up leading five of the 200 laps on his way to a creditable 6th-place finish.

Hinchcliffe returned to Andretti for 2013, and started the season by winning the season opener in St. Petersburg, Florida, for his first series victory. Later, in Brazil for the São Paulo Indy 300, Hinchcliffe won the race, with a last turn overtake under Takuma Sato, breaking the winning sequence of Will Power.

In the 2014 Grand Prix of Indianapolis, Hinchcliffe was hit by debris, and a CT scan revealed he had suffered a concussion, and needed medical clearance before racing again. Hinchcliffe was cleared to return to racing on May 15, five days after the incident.

Schmidt Peterson Motorsports (2015–2019)

Ryan Briscoe - Carb Day 2015 - Sarah Stierch
Hinchcliffe's No. 5 IndyCar was piloted by Ryan Briscoe during the 2015 Indianapolis 500.
James Hinchcliffe 2019
Hinchcliffe in 2019

On October 7, 2014, it was announced that Hinchcliffe would join Schmidt Peterson Motorsports for the 2015 season and drive the No. 5 car, filling the open seat left by Simon Pagenaud. He won his first race with the team in the second race of the year in New Orleans. Hinchcliffe qualified for the 2015 Indianapolis 500 on May 17, then sustained serious injuries in a crash caused by a suspension failure during practice on May 18. The right side of the car was disintegrated, and he was pinned in the cockpit; one of the suspension pieces had penetrated the cockpit tub, and punctured Hinchcliffe's thigh, causing profuse bleeding. He was taken to Methodist Hospital for surgery to remove the debris from his thigh, and the quick response work by IndyCar safety crews was credited in likely saving his life. He remained hospitalized during the race and Ryan Briscoe took Hinchcliffe's position for the race. Briscoe and Conor Daly replaced Hinchcliffe in the car for the remainder of the 2015 season.

On May 22, 2016, Hinchcliffe won the pole position for the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500, a year after his near-fatal crash at the track. He finished seventh in the race. Hinchcliffe led much of the Firestone 600 later that year, only to finish second in a photo finish to Graham Rahal. He went on to finish 13th in the season standings.

On April 9, 2017, two years after his last win, Hinchcliffe won his first race of the season at the Long Beach Grand Prix.

Leena Gade became Hinchcliffe's lead race engineer for the 2018 season, becoming the first female lead race engineer in Indycar. On Bump Day for the 2018 Indianapolis 500, Hinchcliffe ended up failing to qualify for the first time in his career. Afterward, Gade and SPM parted ways. In July, Hinchcliffe rebounded to win at Iowa.

On October 28, 2019, after a season which resulted in a best finish of 3rd at Iowa, the recently renamed Arrow McLaren SP relieved Hinchcliffe of his driving duties and signed 2019 Indy Lights champion Oliver Askew and former Carlin driver and 2018 Indy Lights champion Patricio O'Ward to fill their two seats. Hinchcliffe remained under contract, under which he was required to be with the team on race weekends and make sponsor appearances, but was free to pursue other opportunities.

Return to Andretti Autosport (2020–2021)

On February 19, 2020, Andretti Autosport announced they have signed Hinchcliffe to a three-race deal for the 2020 season which will be his second stint with the team. Hinchcliffe was scheduled to compete in the GMR Grand Prix, the Indianapolis 500 and the Genesys 600. Hinchcliffe finished 18th at the first race of the season at Texas Motor Speedway. He finished 11th in the Indy GP and 7th in the Indy 500. He would then replace Zach Veach for the final three races of the season in the No 26 car after the latter was fired by Andretti.

On January 26, 2021, Andretti Autosport announced that Hinchcliffe would drive the No. 29 car co-entered by Steinbrenner Racing full time for the 2021 season. He finished 20th in the points standings, with a best result of third at the inaugural Music City Grand Prix.

On December 12, 2021, Hinchcliffe announced he would step down from racing full-time, and joined NBC Sports as a commentator for the IndyCar Series broadcast from the 2022 season onwards. He was replaced in the No. 29 entry by Devlin DeFrancesco.

Personal life

Hinchcliffe became engaged to his High School sweetheart, Canadian actress Rebecca "Becky" Dalton, in July 2018; the couple wed in Ontario on August 3, 2019.

If he did not succeed as a professional racing driver, Hinchcliffe wanted to be a motorsports journalist.

On February 17, 2024, Hinchcliffe was inducted into the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame, making him the youngest inductee ever at 37 years old.

Motorsports career results

Complete A1 Grand Prix results

(key) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 DC Points
2006–07 Canada NED
SPR
8
NED
FEA
13
CZE
SPR
2
CZE
FEA
5
CHN
SPR
4
CHN
FEA

10
MYS
SPR
MYS
FEA
IDN
SPR
IDN
FEA
NZL
SPR
6
NZL
FEA
6
AUS
SPR
13
AUS
FEA
Ret
RSA
SPR
13
RSA
FEA
Ret
MEX
SPR
13
MEX
FEA
15
CHN
SPR
CHN
FEA
GBR
SPR
GBR
FEA
11th 33
2007–08 NED
SPR
19
NED
FEA
18
CZE
SPR
12
CZE
FEA
11
MYS
SPR
MYS
FEA
ZHU
SPR
ZHU
FEA
NZL
SPR
NZL
FEA
AUS
SPR
AUS
FEA
RSA
SPR
RSA
FEA
MEX
SPR
MEX
FEA
SHA
SPR
SHA
FEA
GBR
SPR
15
GBR
FEA
17
9th 75

American open–wheel racing results

(key)

Atlantic Championship

Year Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Rank Points
2006 Forsythe Racing LBH
3
HOU
4
MTY
16
POR
1
CLE1
17
CLE2
19
TOR
6
EDM
Ret
SJO
Ret
DEN
7
MTL
3
ROA
Ret
10th 160
2007 Sierra Sierra Enterprises LVG
4
LBH
7
HOU
3
POR1
2
POR2
2
CLE
6
MTT
3
TOR
Ret
EDM1
3
EDM2
9
SJO
Ret
ROA
14
4th 224
2008 Forsythe Racing LBH
10
LS
1
MTT
4
EDM1
3
EDM2
3
ROA1
5
ROA2
8
TRR
Ret
NJ
16
UTA
10
ATL
3
4th 196

Indy Lights

Year Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Rank Points
2009 Sam Schmidt Motorsports STP1
6
STP2
3
LBH
3
KAN
12
INDY
16
MIL
7
IOW
3
WGL
21
TOR
3
EDM
4
KTY
7
MDO
2
SNM
6
CHI
12
HMS
14
5th 395
2010 Team Moore Racing STP
15
ALA
5
LBH
1
INDY
3
IOW
5
WGL
2
TOR
10
EDM
1
MDO
7
SNM
3
CHI
1
KTY
2
HMS
2
2nd 471

IndyCar Series

Year Team Chassis No. Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Rank Points Ref
2011 Newman/Haas Racing Dallara IR05 06 Honda STP ALA
24
LBH
4
SAO
9
INDY
29
TXS
20
TXS
19
MIL
6
IOW
9
TOR
14
EDM
15
MDO
20
NHM
4
SNM
7
BAL
24
MOT
15
KTY
4
LVS1
C
12th 302
2012 Andretti Autosport Dallara DW12 27 Chevrolet STP
4
ALA
6
LBH
3
SAO
6
INDY
6
DET
21
TXS
4
MIL
3
IOW
17
TOR
22
EDM
12
MDO
5
SNM
26
BAL
15
FON
13
8th 358
2013 STP
1
ALA
26
LBH
26
SAO
1
INDY
21
DET
15
DET
19
TXS
9
MIL
5
IOW
1
POC
24
TOR
8
TOR
21
MDO
10
SNM
8
BAL
7
HOU
24
HOU
3
FON
4
8th 449
2014 Honda STP
19
LBH
21
ALA
7
IMS
20
INDY
28
DET
6
DET
5
TXS
14
HOU
5
HOU
14
POC
12
IOW
6
TOR
8
TOR
18
MDO
3
MIL
19
SNM
12
FON
5
12th 456
2015 Schmidt Peterson Motorsports 5 STP
16
NLA
1
LBH
12
ALA
7
IMS
12
INDY
Wth
DET DET TXS TOR FON MIL IOW MDO POC SNM 23rd 129
2016 STP
19
PHX
18
LBH
8
ALA
6
IMS
3
INDY
7
DET
18
DET
21
RDA
14
IOW
9
TOR
3
MDO
5
POC
10
TXS
2
WGL
18
SNM
12
13th 416
2017 STP
9
LBH
1
ALA
6
PHX
12
IMS
13
INDY
22
DET
3
DET
20
TXS
14
ROA
20
IOW
10
TOR
3
MDO
11
POC
20
GMP
8
WGL
21
SNM
22
13th 376
2018 STP
4
PHX
6
LBH
9
ALA
3
IMS
7
INDY
DNQ
DET
11
DET
16
TXS
4
ROA
10
IOW
1
TOR
4
MDO
14
POC
20
GTW
15
POR
22
SNM
15
10th 391
2019 Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports STP
6
COA
16
ALA
6
LBH
9
IMS
16
INDY
11
DET
9
DET
18
TXS
19
RDA
7
TOR
6
IOW
3
MDO
22
POC
20
GTW
12
POR
20
LAG
9
12th 370
2020 Andretti Autosport 29 TXS
18
IMS
11
ROA
ROA
IOW
IOW
INDY
7
GTW
GTW
MDO MDO 23rd 138
26 IMS
14
IMS
13
STP
14
2021 Andretti Steinbrenner Autosport 29 ALA
17
STP
18
TXS
23
TXS
18
IMS
18
INDY
21
DET
17
DET
14
ROA
15
MDO
17
NSH
3
IMS
22
GTW
15
POR
27
LAG
20
LBH
14
20th 220
  • 1 The Las Vegas Indy 300 was abandoned after Dan Wheldon died from injuries sustained in a 15-car crash on lap 11.
Years Teams Races Poles Wins Top 5s Top 10s Indianapolis 500
wins
Championships
10 3 145 1 6 32 70 0 0

Indianapolis 500

Year Chassis Engine Start Finish Team
2011 Dallara Honda 13 29 Newman/Haas Racing
2012 Dallara Chevrolet 2 6 Andretti Autosport
2013 Dallara Chevrolet 9 21 Andretti Autosport
2014 Dallara Honda 2 28 Andretti Autosport
2015 Dallara Honda Wth Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
2016 Dallara Honda 1 7 Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
2017 Dallara Honda 17 22 Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
2018 Dallara Honda DNQ Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
2019 Dallara Honda 32 11 Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
2020 Dallara Honda 6 7 Andretti Autosport
2021 Dallara Honda 16 21 Andretti Steinbrenner Autosport

Touring Car racing

V8 Supercar results

Year Team Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Final pos Points
2012 Garry Rogers Motorsport Holden VE Commodore ADE
R1
ADE
R2
SYM
R3
SYM
R4
HAM
R5
HAM
R6
BAR
R7
BAR
R8
BAR
R9
PHI
R10
PHI
R11
HID
R12
HID
R13
TOW
R14
TOW
R15
QLD
R16
QLD
R17
SMP
R18
SMP
R19
SAN
Q
SAN
R20
BAT
R21
SUR
R22
Ret
SUR
R23
Ret
YMC
R24
YMC
R25
YMC
R26
WIN
R27
WIN
R28
SYD
R29
SYD
R30
NC 0 †
2019 Walkinshaw Andretti United Holden ZB Commodore ADE
R1
ADE
R2
MEL
R3
MEL
R4
MEL
R5
MEL
R6
SYM
R7
SYM
R8
PHI
R9
PHI
R10
BAR
R11
BAR
R12
WIN
R13
WIN
R14
HID
R15
HID
R16
TOW
R17
TOW
R18
QLD
R19
QLD
R20
BEN
R21
BEN
R22
PUK
R23
PUK
R24
BAT
R25
18
SUR
R26
SUR
R27
SAN
QR
SAN
R28
NEW
R29
NEW
R30
51st 102

† Not eligible for points

Complete Bathurst 1000 results

Year Team Car Co-driver Position Laps
2019 Walkinshaw Andretti United Holden Commodore ZB United States Alexander Rossi 18th 159

Complete IMSA SportsCar Championship

Year Team Class Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Rank Points
2014 SpeedSource P Mazda Prototype Mazda 2.2 L SKYACTIV-D (SH-VPTS) I4 Turbo (diesel) DAY
14
SEB
LBH
LGA
DET
WGL
MOS
IMS
52nd 19
Starworks Motorsport Riley Mk XXVI DP Honda HR35TT 3.5 L V6 Turbo ELK
12
COA
PET
2015 SpeedSource P Mazda Prototype Mazda 2.2 L SKYACTIV-D (SH-VPTS) I4 Turbo (diesel) DAY
12
SEB
LBH
LGA
DET
WGL
MOS
ELK
COA
PET
31st 20
2017 Mazda Motorsports P Mazda RT24-P Mazda MZ-2.0T 2.0 L Turbo I4 DAY
12
SEB
LBH
COA
DET
WGL
MOS
ELK LGA PET 42nd 19
2024 Pfaff Motorsports GTD Pro McLaren 720S GT3 Evo McLaren M840T 4.0 L Turbo V8 DAY
10
SEB
12
LGA DET WGL
MOS ELK VIR IMS PET
12th* 449*
Source:

* Season still in progress.

See also

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