James Hinchcliffe to make NASCAR Truck debut at St. Pete

In 2013, James Hinchcliffe earned his firs of six IndyCar wins at the St. Petersburg street course. 13 years later, he will be racing again at the site of that first triumph, but in a very difficult kind of race car — or truck.

Hinchcliffe will pilot the No. 77 Chevrolet Silverado for Spire Motorsports in the first-ever NCTS race at St. Pete on February, as part of IndyCar’s opening weekend. IndyCar legend Dario Franchitti previously announced plans to run the race, driving for TRICON (the reigning series champions).

Spire is a highly capable team as well with nine victories in the Truck Series, including four last season.

‘Baptism by fire’

“I am super excited to run my first truck race at St. Pete,” said Hinchcliffe, a native of Ontario, Canada. “When they announced the trucks would be running there, I knew I had to try to make something happen because I just love this track and I have always wanted to try something in the NASCAR world. I have been in the Spire family for a long time, so it just made sense to run with them. I can’t thank Dan (Towriss), Jeff (Dickerson), Bill (Anthony) – really everyone at Spire – enough for making this come together.

“It will be a baptism of fire,” Hinchcliffe continued. “Having my first race in a truck being on a street course with no room for error, but these races always look like so much fun, so I am really looking forward to the opportunity. Plus, I love that it’s going to be shown on FOX Sports, with some of my IndyCar colleagues joining the broadcast, so that should add an extra layer of fun to it.”

It will also be a weekend where Hinch is pulling a unique kind of double-duty, as he’ll be in the broadcast booth for the IndyCar race after competing in the Truck race.

Hinchcliffe started 161 IndyCar races in his career, collected 18 podiums along with those aforementioned six victories, and even earned pole position for the 2016 Indianapolis 500. He’s also raced prestigious events like the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona in IMSA, and the Bathurst 1000 in Supercars, but NASCAR will be entirely new to the 39-year-old.

“James had an amazing open-wheel career with wins and poles across all kinds of formulas, but I’m not even sure he’s ever watched a NASCAR race.” said Spire Motorsports Co-Owner Jeff Dickerson. “I know it means a little more to (Co-Owner) Dan (Towriss) and I, personally, to be able to do this with him and when he called Dan and wanted to give it a go it seemed right on brand for all of us. This definitely won’t be the first time we’ve been out on a ledge together. We’re all really grateful to Delaware Life for coming along for the ride and giving us a weekend to remember.”