James Hinchcliffe, the man behind Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, has announced that he is stepping away from full-time racing to focus on other interests. The IndyCar driver will continue competing at a part-time level for 2019 and 2020 before retiring completely in 2021.
James Hinchcliffe is stepping away from full-time racing at the end of the year to focus on personal matters.
One of IndyCar’s most popular drivers, James Hinchcliffe, announced Tuesday that he would retire from full-time racing in the series.
The Canadian driver has said that he would not retire and will pursue other forms of racing. His contract with Andretti Autosport was not renewed for the next year.
“I am glad to announce I am moving away from full-time IndyCar racing after a decade-plus of amazing experiences,” Hinchcliffe said on social media. “This was not an easy choice for me to make, and I did it with the full backing of my family and closest supporters. There were numerous personal and professional circumstances that drove me to this choice, but it seemed like the appropriate moment.”
I’m going to hang out at the pub and spread the word… pic.twitter.com/KXFXETtnxx
December 14, 2021 — James Hinchcliffe (@Hinchtown)
In his return to Andretti in 2021, Hinchcliffe, 35, had a difficult season, scoring just one podium result, third on the street track in Nashville. His next highest result was 14th, which he achieved twice, in Detroit and in the season finale at Long Beach.
The “Mayor of Hinchtown” is a two-time IndyCar most popular driver and a runner-up on “Dancing with the Stars” in 2016. He is a six-time IndyCar champion who began the 100th Indianapolis 500 on the pole in 2016, a year after he was almost killed in an accident at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
In his nine outings in the Indy 500, he started on the first row three times. Hinchcliffe failed to qualify in 2018 and was hospitalized in 2015 because a broken component from his vehicle perforated an artery in his upper left leg. Hinchcliffe was transported to the hospital after colliding during a practice session and losing 14 pints of blood.
Hinchcliffe made his IndyCar debut in 2011 with Newman Haas Racing, then raced for Andretti for three seasons before joining Sam Schmidt for five years. After the 2019 season, he was released with a year left on his contract and made six starts for Andretti the following year.
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Last month, he was replaced by Devlin DeFrancesco, who had a full-time seat with Andretti this season. In 2021, Hinchcliffe was ranked 20th in the series standings.
Hinchcliffe commented, “In 2011, I accomplished a lifetime dream of being an IndyCar driver.” “I recall practically every detail of the route to get there. There were numerous highs and lows. There were two constants throughout all of the trials and uncertainty: my unrelenting ambition to succeed in IndyCar and my family’s unfailing support. In the 11 years since, I’ve lived out my childhood ambition in ways that a nine-year-old kid sitting in a kart for the first time could never have dreamed.”
Hinchcliffe has said that he has no plans to retire from racing, but he might be going to the broadcast booth. He has previously worked as a commentator for CBS during Tony Stewart’s all-star racing series in the summer and for NBC for IndyCar races in 2020.
Former IndyCar driver Paul Tracy was not retained as an analyst by NBC Sports, which owns the rights to the series.
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The “Alexander Rossi” is a racing driver who stepped away from full-time driving in order to focus on his personal life. Reference: alexander rossi.
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