None other than James Hinchcliffe is entering the St. Pete NASCAR Truck Series race with Spire Motorsports. A six-time race winner in IndyCar and a fan-favorite on TV, Hinchcliffe is dipping his toes into the stock car waters. He will drive the No. 77 truck and be sponsored by Delaware Life.
Dario Fanchitti and James Hinchcliffe racing at St. Pete during IndyCar weekend? No, it's not 2013. It's 2026! And it's happening in the Craftsman Truck Series.
When this crossover weekend was announced with IndyCar and the Truck Series, it felt like these kinds of entries were possible. It is going to be exciting to watch Hinchcliffe get acclimated to the truck as he goes around the track. What a weekend IndyCar and NASCAR are putting together for fans.
(Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)
At 39 years old, James Hinchcliffe is still in great condition to race. He just competed in the 24 Hours at Daytona, so there should be no issue with a short and quick Truck Series race.
What the issue could be is the physicality of the NASCAR Truck Series. Drivers from open-wheel series have started to come to NASCAR with seemingly more frequency in recent years. Almost all of them comment on the physicality and toughness of the racing.
Add that in with the inexperienced nature of the Truck Series, and you get a volatile mix. James Hinchcliffe needs to make it out of the muck and the mire and hope for as few restarts as possible if he wants to have a really good day on the track. Then again, there are really little to no expectations for him in this role.
Hinchcliffe and Franchitti at St. Pete. Those are words that haven't been said in years. Now, thanks to NASCAR and IndyCar, we have somehow gone back in time to an alternate universe where these two are stock car racers. Pretty cool.