Could James Hinchcliffe Leave IndyCar for NASCAR in 2018?

By Asher Fair | Jul 23, 2017

SONOMA, CA - SEPTEMBER 18: James Hinchcliffe of Canada drives the #5 Arrow Schmidt Petersen Motorsports Honda Dallara during warm up for the GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma at Sonoma Raceway on September 18, 2016 in Sonoma, California. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images) /

The Silly Seasons of both IndyCar and NASCAR are upon us. Current IndyCar driver James Hinchcliffe’s role in Silly Season could be a part of both.

Back in November of 2015 just six months after his near-fatal crash at practice for the 2015 Indianapolis 500, IndyCar driver James Hinchcliffe attended the final race of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season in an attempt to secure a ride at Watkins Glen in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

"“It was really an exploratory trip. 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.”"

Here we are nearly two years later, and Hinchcliffe has still yet to drive at Watkins in the Xfinity Series. However, he certainly has not forgotten about it, nor has he forgotten about driving a stock car in general.

"“We hit the ground pretty hard in the last 18 months trying to make it happen … I have always wanted to try it and a road course is the best way to ease into it. We want to do it right but it’s not something I am looking at in anticipation of a career switch.”"

Hinchcliffe, who is one of the most likable characters in the IndyCar paddock, is likely going to be the top free agent that teams will be looking to sign this offseason. However, there may be a shortage of seats open at the top-tier teams like Team Penske, Chip Ganassi Racing and Andretti Autosport, especially with the possibility of Team Penske dropping one of their four cars.

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If Hinchcliffe, who currently drivers for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, can’t secure a ride with one of those three teams, does a slight chance exist that he could go to the Xfinity Series full-time in 2018? That brings to the forefront the question of what if the only reason he has yet to drive a road course in the Xfinity Series is because he is waiting for a bigger and better opportunity?

After all, had he attempted to drive even just one road course race at all up to this point in time, including now, he would have been restricted to doing so for only a Ford team, as his commitments to Honda restricted him from driving for a Chevrolet or a Toyota team. However, this offseason, he will be a free agent and will no longer be committed to Honda.

With 19-year-old rookie sensation William Byron likely and deservedly moving up to the Cup Series from the Xfinity Series in 2018, that would open up a desirable Chevrolet ride with JR Motorsports in the #9 machine that Hinchcliffe could very well be in the mix for. That would likely be his best-case scenario in NASCAR for 2018.

JR Motorsports just happens to the team that gave Danica Patrick, who we will touch on in more depth later on in the article, her NASCAR start in the Xfinity Series, which ultimately led to her becoming a full-time Cup Series driver for Stewart-Haas Racing. And ironically enough, it was Hinchcliffe who took over Patrick’s ride when she left IndyCar for good following the conclusion of the 2011 season.

Recent IndyCar-to-NASCAR attempts by drivers have, to put it bluntly, been awful. Dario Franchitti drove some Nationwide Series races in 2007 and 2008 as well as some Cup Series races in 2008. He finished in the top 10 just twice in 18 Nationwide Series starts and never finished higher than 22nd place in 10 Cup Series starts.

More recently, Danica Patrick‘s IndyCar-to-NASCAR attempt has also gone terribly. In 61 Nationwide Series starts, she finished higher than 10th place just three times, and through 173 Cup Series starts, she has never finished in the top 5. Her best finish in the Cup Series finish in the championship standings is just 24th.

Both of those drivers lacked and have lacked success in NASCAR despite being solid IndyCar drivers. Franchitti was a fantastic IndyCar driver, and Patrick was not terrible either. Franchitti earned 31 victories to go along with three Indianapolis 500 wins and four championships over 17 seasons.

Over seven seasons, Patrick had just one victory, but she finished in the top 10 in the Indianapolis 500 in six of her seven attempts, and she also finished in the top 10 in the championship standings in her final six seasons.

Hinchcliffe, like Franchitti and Patrick, has had a solid IndyCar career. Currently in his seventh full-time season, he has five career victories and has finished as high as 8th place in the championship standings.

Hinchcliffe going to the Xfinity Series full-time in 2018 is a longshot, but there is enough information out there to make it a legitimate possibility. He does have interest in NASCAR and while he would be walking away from a ride in IndyCar, he could always come back like Franchitti did or pursue a ride with a top-tier team on the Cup Series level like Patrick did.

Next: Early Silly Season IndyCar Driver Lineup for 2018

Do you think there is a chance that James Hinchcliffe will be a full-time driver in NASCAR next season? Let us know in the comments below, and be sure to follow me on Instagram as well as Beyond the Flag on both Instagram and Twitter. Also, don’t forget to follow along with Beyond the Flag for the latest news, opinions, and analysis stemming from a number of different motorsports series. You don’t want to miss any of it.