IndyCar: Hinchcliffe moves to Schmidt Peterson Motorsports for 2015
Just one week after losing Simon Pagenaud to Team Penske, it didn't take long for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports to find another top driver.
James Hinchcliffe is leaving Andretti Autosport to take over the No. 77 Honda at Schmidt Peterson Motorsports in 2015 in an announcement made Tuesday in Indianapolis.
The three-time Verizon IndyCar Series race winner has signed a multi-year contract with Schmidt Peterson Motorsports to drive the team's No. 77 entry, beginning with the 2015 race season. It reunites the driver and team that competed together in the Indy Lights Series in 2009, when Hinchcliffe finished fifth in the championship.
"Despite being around in Indy Lights for years, SPM is a relatively young team in the IndyCar paddock," Hinchcliffe said. "To see what they have accomplished in the last few seasons has been incredible. Winning races, being competitive at all tracks and finishing in the top five in the championship against more experienced teams at this level is impressive. Because they are young, there is still room for them to grow and improve, and that's an exciting thought for me."
SPM has finished fifth or better in the Verizon IndyCar Series championship the last three seasons. Hinchcliffe joined the IndyCar Series in 2011 as a rookie for Newman Haas Lanigan Racing. He joined Andretti Autosport at the end of that season after Dan Wheldon's fatal crash on October 16, 2011.
Earlier that day, Wheldon had signed a contract to return to Andretti Autosport as the driver of the No. 7 entry to replace Danica Patrick, who was moving on to NASCAR.
Hinchcliffe was a popular driver at Andretti and won three races for the team in 2013 but was winless this past season.
"James had great success in Indy Lights and other series on his way to IndyCar," team owner Sam Schmidt said. "In fact, he would already be with us driving the No. 77 if he would have been available three years ago. We went after him in 2011, but it didn't work out then.
"We know that his success in the Verizon IndyCar Series is no fluke. We've now won races and contended for championships, and we believe he's going to be the person we need to keep moving forward as a team. It's a very big compliment to the team that James wants to come drive for us and that he thinks that he can win and contend for championships with us."
Hinchcliffe will be the cornerstone of SPM racing moving forward, according to team co-owner Ric Peterson.
"When Sam, Rob Edwards (SPM general manager) and I discussed who was going to drive our No. 77 car, it was always focused on who could help us achieve our two main goals over the next three years - winning the championship and the Indianapolis 500," said team co owner Ric Peterson. "James' three victories in 2013 and his two career front row starts at the Indy 500 were evidence that he had the potential to help us realize those goals. I am also very proud to welcome a fellow Canadian to our team."
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