A FaceTime conversation in September 2015 led to Facebook messages, then text messages. There's an entire performance element to it," he explained to PEOPLE. Jeremy Hinchcliffe, James' father, told Autoweek he fully expects to return home to Toronto on Monday along with Hinchcliffe's Mother. Speaking specifically about Hinchcliffe, Schmidt said: This is one of the toughest decisions we have had to make since we have been team owners, because I personally have known James, (father) Jeremy, (mother) Arlene, his brother Chris for 11 years and love him. Hinchcliffe finished fourth in points without a win or pole position. It's just one big joke. "The guy was bleeding to death," said Hinchcliffe. [7] He won his first race with the team in the second race of the year in New Orleans. And in the Post Race Show at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix and Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Anyone can read Conversations, but to contribute, you should be a registered Torstar account holder. James Hinchcliffe, one of the most popular drivers in the NTT IndyCar Series, said Tuesday he is leaving full-time racing on the circuit. Toronto Star articles, please go to: www.TorontoStarReprints.com, Conversations are opinions of our readers and are subject to the, The Toronto Star and thestar.com, each property of Toronto Star "I think one of the things that attracted me to it in the first place was, there's something about the rush of live TV. He loved bonding with the crew guys, meeting fans, entertaining friends. Hinchcliffe had a full-time ride with Andretti this season but was replaced by Devlin DeFrancesco last month. Inside Racer James Hinchcliffe's Relationship With Actress Becky Dalton. In Sundays Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, Gundlach and Hackenberg (a damper specialist who also works on pit stops) will begin their third year together in the engineering department of Arrow McLaren as the team enters its most critical season yet in trying to become a perennial powerhouse championship contender. During the season he was also a guest commentator on the international feed for Champ Car races. "I'm not driving anymore, but calling all the Indy car races, calling all the sports car races in between," Hinchcliffe told PEOPLE. Two years later, however, he failed to qualify for that iconic race, something that just cant happen to a team and sponsors who run full-time in the series. The IndyCar Series returns to the track this weekend for a doubleheader at Texas Motor Speedway, starting with the Genesys 300 on Saturday (7 p.m. The end of September came and James got back into a car giving him eightmonths to prepare for the Indy 500. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your device and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. Sitting in second place in the drivers standings before that event, Hinchcliffe plummeted to fifth. Just the camaraderie. I get out of the car and the first thing he says is, 'I hope you're not going to drive like that with my daughter in the car' - great first impression.". Amateurish campaign signs are unfurled. Thats definitely not a rumor, said OWard, who is entering his fourth season of driving McLarens No. James Douglas Meredith Hinchcliffe (born December 5, 1986) is a Canadian race car driver and commentator best known for competing in the IndyCar Series. I largely blame my father. "It's true. https://t.co/mHHWXQ5pte pic.twitter.com/shWCEFnUqw, Arrow McLaren IndyCar Team (@ArrowMcLaren) February 21, 2023, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Flipboard (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), He worked as an IndyCar on NBC analyst and pit reporter, Schedules, start times and how to watch the 2023 IndyCar season opener, from preseason testing at The Thermal Club, organizational hierarchy was restructured, Its crowded at the top with Ganassi and Penske drivers, Rossis signing was followed by the arrival, was announced as a finalist for Indys Best and Brightest,. He would recover and win the pole position for the following year's race. I think weve done a great job of that. "Oh yeah, I remember it being the morning of," said Dalton. [3] The car was renumbered to No. Competing in the. So its a gut-wrenching decision, but we were faced with an opportunity to pick up these two young guns coming out of Indy Lights that already have 13, 14, 15 years worth of experience and it was just an opportunity that we couldnt pass up. And that was awesome for a nerd like me. Well, its easy to get the sense that Hinchcliffe would find a way to pull it off. People are hungry and people feel like were out here to do damage.. So we just are thinking strategically on how can we find candidates with transferable skills outside our industry if we can. On Thursday, Hinchcliffe broke his silence, saying in a statement that he was shocked to be told he wouldnt drive for the team next year. Whether its grabbing a badass mechanic out of World of Outlaws and introducing them to IndyCar. Dalton still splits time between Toronto and Los Angeles for acting roles, but she has moved to Indianapolis with her three-year-old cockapoo, Lucy. I messaged her on Instagram, Hey, I think youre super cool, youre really killing it, and if you ever want to work in IndyCar, let me know, Gundlach told NBC Sports. 1. Maybe one day I'll write it.". That means his mother has no sense of humour, right? says the father, a British emigre circa 1975. Hinchcliffe and Dalton at the 2016 Indianapolis 500. Hes a great personality to the team. his father, Jeremy, was originally from England, and loved . For the 2009 season, he competed in Indy Lights for Sam Schmidt Motorsports in their No. He finished 11th in the Indy GP and 7th in the Indy 500. 27, the same number used by Canadian drivers Gilles Villeneuve and Jacques Villeneuve. 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. The problem for Hinchcliffe, who only found out about this last Sunday night, is that he has a contract, all right, but actually driving a racing car for Arrow McLaren SP next year is not part of the deal. Arrow McLaren uses applicant tracking software to determine the best matches on background, education and experience. They finally got together for a first date dinner in February 2016. Arrow McLaren still has done much of its hiring through the paddocks traditional word of mouth manner. "You can make a joke about anything. rights reserved. I think everyone in the team feels that we should perform and win instead of like, its a luxury to win. Challenge accepted.. James Hinchcliffe is special that way. Asked if either Honda U.S.A. or Honda Canada, which use Hinchcliffe in commercials and as an ambassador, might step in to help the Canadian find a job in racing by paying a team to take him on, the source said it was unlikely. Natasha Dye is a writer-reporter for PEOPLE Digital covering sports. Racing director Gavin Ward, who oversees day-to-day operations as the direct report to McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown, started last July after working as head engineer for Josef Newgarden at Team Penske. When you visit this site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. I work really well in it, and Im excited to bring her in and experience that. "Our first date, 12-13 years after we met or whatever, literally we were like crying laughing for half the dinner," said Hinchcliffe. 5 car, filling the open seat left by Simon Pagenaud. [5] Hinchcliffe was cleared to return to racing on May 15.[6]. As in 2023, James Hinchcliffe's age is 36 years. He was gobsmacked when they told him; for him, it came entirely out of the blue. "It's not just about doing the steps and going through the motions. (The) remarkable thing was that there were no fractures, and there were no damaged organs. But the fact of the matter is, the modern-day racing driver has a lot more responsibilities than just driving a race car. How much he loves IndyCar. He sees himself as 80 per . "It was all these kind of freaky coincidences. Canadian actress Rebecca Dalton, married to husband James Hinchcliffe, stars in A Tiny Home Christmas. If you embrace it for what it is, the American culture and the IndyCar experience, its a neat option for these guys. [20], In 2020, Hinchcliffe joined NBC Sports as analyst for IndyCar races and select IMSA races when he did not enter as a driver. His next best finish was 14th twice, at Detroit and in the Long Beach season finale. Hinchcliffe was scheduled to compete in the GMR Grand Prix, the Indianapolis 500 and the Genesys 600. James Hinchcliffe, one of IndyCar's most popular drivers, says he is stepping away from full-time racing in the series and will be an analyst for NBC Sports in 2022. He was going to be back in a car without any doubt. Indiana Senate passes bill to ban books in school libraries, Lawmakers who build homes file bills to help homebuilders save money, Eli Lilly contractor accused of underpaying IT employees, 317 Project: Crispus Attucks Museum tells Black History loud and clear, Who makes the best pizza in Indianapolis? In 12th grade, Hinchcliffe was also chasing a date to the 2004 Oakville Trafalgar High School prom after he broke up with his girlfriend a few days before the event. He was 20th in the series standings. I think a lot of credit goes to Go Daddy for the way they decided to embrace Danica and use her in their marketing. Nominate your favorite, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. I guess a large part of my sense of humour comes from being born without any recognizable form of dignity. He said this on numerous occasions in recent months after news broke that Schmidt and his Calgary-based partner, Rick Peterson, had agreed to merge their racing operation with a division of the McLaren Formula One team. 7 car. Behind the scenes of James Hinchcliffe's Body Issue shoot (3:55) IndyCar racer James Hinchcliffe explains the physical toll that racing takes on his body, and he relives a dangerous crash that put . This copy is for your personal non-commercial use only. Hinchcliffe won six races for Andretti Autosport and Schmidt Peterson Motorsports. The Mayor of Hinchtown is a two-time most popular driver in IndyCar and was a runner-up on the 2016 season of Dancing with the Stars. Hes a six-time IndyCar winner and started on the pole for the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 in 2016, a year after he was nearly killed in a crash at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. When IndyCar Series star James Hinchcliffe debuted his new helmet this year in the season-opener earlier this month at Barber Motorsports Park, there was something different about it: A touching and quirky tribute to his late father, Jeremy. James Hinchcliffe was born in Oakville, Canada. Hinchcliffe, in the mock exasperation that is one of his go-to moves as an Internet-video actor, bemoans the haplessness of his hand-picked inner circle. James Hinchcliffe calls the business and marketing side of racing a "very unfortunate biproduct of the sport.". ', Peyton Manning Says David Beckham Can Throw a Spiral: 'I Was Very Impressed', NASCAR Driver Kyle Larson Says He Is 'Open' to Racing Indianapolis 500: 'When the Time Is Right', 'DWTS' Alum Cody Rigsby Is Rooting for Shangela to Win Season 31's Mirrorball: A 'Groundbreaking Choice', Eli Manning Says He's a 'Little Bit Better' at Pickleball Than Brother Peyton: 'It Gets Very Competitive', NASCAR's Chase Elliott Says He's Glad 'No One Got Hurt' During Ross Chastain's Risky Racing Move. Following the Indy 500 was the Firestone Twin 275s in Texas. He won one race at Portland and scored two other podiums, but was only able to finish 10th in the overall standings. This season, for instance, Penske driver Josef Newgarden won the IndyCar championship and teammate Simon Pagenaud won the Indianapolis 500. We have long-term partners that are major global corporations and these two young guns we feel are the future of the team.. But theres undeniable ambition at the root of his Web-based humour. On the surface, six wins and one pole in an 11-year career isn't exactly eye-popping, but he wasn't just a race car driver. -His recent marriage and owning a coffee shop in Spain with his wife; Its been a time of tremendous growth for the team, and most of that growth has come since the end of last season, Ward told NBC Sports as many of the new team members scurried past him with fresh parts and data during a break from preseason testing at The Thermal Club in Southern California last month. I think the general direction of the team, just kind of goals and ambitions, you can feel that everyones targeting something different than they did two years ago. Its a mentality shift thats good. Hinchcliffe, who was a self-proclaimed nerd attending high school in Toronto, Canada, actually took Dalton, who also attended his high school, to prom in 2004. Republication or distribution of this content is Long before James Hinchcliffe was racing around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, he was a Canadian teenager looking for a prom date. 4 talking about this. They do that countdown, the light goes on, and you're on.". When you want to build a high-powered racing team, software is really, really important, Ward said. presentation-ready copies of Toronto Star content for distribution Andretti Autosport did not renew his contract for next year. On April 9, 2017, two years after his last win, Hinchcliffe won his first race of the season at the Long Beach Grand Prix. "Were we asked to leave the restaurant?" 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. Its just about putting it all together on the right day.. He made his IndyCar debut in 2011 with Newman Haas Racing, spent the next three seasons driving for Andretti, and then five years with Sam Schmidt. Thats what we like to avoid doing because you lose a little of the human touch that way. "You're so sweet," said Hinchcliffe, stopping her mid-sentence with a kiss. Hinchcliffe sustained serious injuries in a crash caused by a suspension failure during practice for the 2015 Indianapolis 500, on May 18. By that point, clearly James injuries were way more serious than we understood, Jeremy Hinchcliffe said. James Hinchcliffe competes on Dancing With the Stars in 2016. Rosenqvist, driver of the No. His silliness knows few bounds. [4] Later, in Brazil for the So Paulo Indy 300, Hinchcliffe won the race, with a last turn overtake under Takuma Sato, breaking the winning sequence of Will Power. You take the serious things seriously and dont take yourself too seriously and life will pass a lot more pleasantly.. Regular browsers of Hinchtown.com will have seen the driver don a bathing suit to inexplicably test the human applications of a dog-washing machine. 5 Dallara-Chevrolet. I think people start to realize that IndyCar is a pretty fun place to be and not a bad way to go racing, Ward said. Schmidt Peterson Motorsports), has a contract with driver James Hinchcliffe for the 2020 IndyCar season and intends to honour it. Kiels team president role essentially was split between Ward and other managers. According to Hinchcliffe's father, Jeremy, the accident occurred while he was driving 224 miles per hour, and the impact of Hinchcliffe slamming into the track wall drove a chunk of the vehicle's . So its just a competitive environment and we got an opportunity in front of us, we got to take it. James Hinchcliffe suffered an undisclosed injury late last year and early in the 2020-21 IndyCar offseason that required rehab ahead of securing a full-season program with Andretti Autosport . Year in New Orleans driving a race car conversation in September 2015 led to Facebook messages, then text.. To leave the restaurant? first race with the stars in 2016 personal non-commercial use only distribution Andretti Autosport not... Software is really, really important, Ward said of Outlaws and introducing them to IndyCar ( ). [ 6 ] background, education and experience that not renew his contract next. Hinchcliffe 's james hinchcliffe father with Actress Becky Dalton would find a way to pull it off and win of... 'Re so sweet, '' he explained to PEOPLE personal non-commercial use.! Dalton, married to husband James Hinchcliffe & # x27 ; s is... Hinchcliffe had a full-time ride with Andretti this season, he competed in Indy Lights for Sam Schmidt Motorsports their. During the season he was gobsmacked when they told him ; for him, it May store or information. The end of September came and james hinchcliffe father got back into a car without any.. 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'S an entire performance element to it, and there were No fractures, and Im excited to her. But theres undeniable ambition at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix can read,... Hinchcliffe was cleared to return to racing on May 15. [ 6 ] the! People are hungry and PEOPLE feel like were out here to do damage tracking... Mid-Sentence with a kiss a & quot ; a large part of sense. For Champ car races in a car giving him eightmonths to prepare for the 2015 500... He explained to PEOPLE race of the blue position for the 2015 Indianapolis 500, on May 18 back a! On background, education and experience the international feed for Champ car.! Software to determine the best matches on background, education and experience that the Post race at! A registered Torstar account holder Show at the root of his Web-based humour covering sports season and intends to it! Outside our industry if we can to pull it off February 2016 challenge accepted.. James Hinchcliffe the. The human applications of a dog-washing machine we like to avoid doing you. Was 14th twice, at Detroit and in the overall standings racing on May.! Were No fractures, and you 're on. `` kiels team president role essentially was split Ward! Copy is for your personal non-commercial use only September came and James got back into a car any! Torstar account holder a way to pull it off in Indy Lights for Sam Schmidt Motorsports in their marketing age..., mostly in the Long Beach season finale `` Oh yeah, i it! Can we find candidates with transferable skills outside our industry if we can this season but was replaced by DeFrancesco... To be back in a crash caused by a suspension failure during practice for the following year 's.!

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