IndyCar star James Hinchcliffe was in the NASCAR paddock this weekend in Homestead with three primary goals: telling Jeff Gordon good-bye, wishing sponsor GoDaddy a happy sendoff and, perhaps most importantly to him, talking to teams about a ride in the Watkins Glen, New York, XFINITY Series road course race.
A handful of IndyCar Series drivers roamed the paddock from three-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves to Marco Andretti. But the Canadian Hinchcliffe was there with a distinct and different mission, to secure his first NASCAR start.
“It was really an exploratory trip,” Hinchcliffe said. “I planted some seeds and got the ball rolling.
“I would love to do all the road courses but I need one foot in the door first. Watkins Glen makes sense because it’s closest to Canada.”
The Schmidt Peterson Motorsports driver said the car would have to be a Ford because of his Honda commitments. While that tightens the parameters, it also eases the process and focuses on teams that run Fords such as Penske and Roush-Fenway — organizations that fielded the winning car and winning driver in this year’s XFINITY competition.
“It limits my options, but makes it easier too,” Hinchcliffe said with a smile.
A two-time front row starter in the Indy 500 and a four-time IndyCar race winner, Hinchcliffe is recovering from a serious injury he suffered in a crash during practice for this year’s Indy 500.
He said his visit this weekend to the NASCAR garage was, “More of floating idea in paddock.”
And in addition, he conceded, it was a great opportunity to see one of his racing heroes in his final start.
“I’m here for Jeff Gordon, I used to wear a Jeff Gordon hat every day for grade six,” Hinchcliffe said, smiling.