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SPORTS Thursday 20 February 2020
Hinchcliffe gets Indy 500 ride, 3 total races with Andretti

By MICHAEL MAROT old Zach Veach, who has that every May. No matter
AP Sports Writer eight top 10 finishes in 34 how many cars they have,
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Mi- starts as a full-time IndyCar they make sure they are all
chael Andretti's driver line- driver; and five-time pole competitive."
up is locked and loaded for winner Marco Andretti. The Hinchcliffe qualified sec-
May. Andretti team also has a ond twice and ninth in his
He already had two race technical alliance with Mi- three previous 500 starts
winners, two of IndyÇar's chael Shank Racing for the with Andretti but finished in
rising stars and his own son, entry being fielded for Jack the top 20 only once dur-
Marco, geared up. Now Harvey. ing those years — a career
he's added 2016 Indianap- Hinchcliffe is expected to best sixth in 2012.
olis 500 pole winner James make his first appearance In 2015, his first year with
Hinchcliffe to the roster. at the speedway during an Schmidt, Hinchcliffe suf-
Andretti Autosport's April 29 test. fered a life-threatening
team owner announced "I know a lot of the engi- leg injury in a crash during
Wednesday that Hinch- neering staff, I'm personal practice. He missed the rest In this May 28, 2016, file photo, James Hinchcliffe, right, of
cliffe will drive the No. 29 friends with the drivers on of the season. When he re- Canada, talks with Marco Andretti during the drivers meeting for
the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Honda for three races this the team and I'm going to turned to the track in May in Indianapolis.
season — the two in Indy be very committed to get- 2016, Hinchcliffe claimed Associated Press
and a June race at Texas ting myself up to speed so his first — and only — ca-
Motor Speedway with the I can hit the track running reer pole. He finished sev- 33-car starting grid. Some one else's ride.
potential for more opportu- in May," Hinchcliffe said. "I enth in the race. fans wanted Hinchcliffe to He returned last year and
nities in the future. think one of the most im- Two years later, Hinchcliffe buy his way into the race, barely surviving Bump Day
"We've run six cars before," portant things is come to shockingly failed to qualify but no deal materialized with the No. 32 starting spot
Andretti said at Indianapo- Indianapolis with a purpose for the race after getting and Hinchcliffe contended in his final May race with
lis Motor Speedway. "And and I think this team does bumped off the traditional he didn't want to take any- Schmidt.q
when you put a driver like
James in a car, that's like
another bullet in the gun.
We've got our six-shooter
now."
Andretti's sixth car will be
sponsored by Indianapolis-
based Genesys, which sells
customer experience and
call center technology.
The addition of Hinchcliffe
should resonate with fans,
too.
The popular Canadian
had been scrambling to
find races to run in 2020
after learning late last
year he was out at Arrow
McLaren SP with one year
left on his contract. Hinch-
cliffe spent five seasons
with Sam Schmidt's team
but became a casualty of
Schmidt's new alliance with
McLaren.
In January, Hinchcliffe
cobbled together enough
funding to run the road
race at Indy as well as the
500 but needed a team to
give him a seat. Hinchcliffe
wound up reuniting with
Andretti, where he worked
for three seasons and
earned his first series win in
2013. Plus, he added a third
race.
Hinchcliffe should be a per-
fect fit in a crowded garage
that already consisted of
Ryan Hunter-Reay, the 2014
Indy 500 winner; Alexander
Rossi, the 500 champion in
2016; 19-year-old Colton
Herta, a two-time winner
as a rookie in 2019; 25-year-