James Hinchcliffe Teaming Up with Spire for Craftsman Truck Series Debut at St. Petersburg

James Hinchcliffe will make his NASCAR debut on February 28 in the inaugural NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race in St. Petersburg, Florida.

A six-time race winner in the NTT IndyCar Series, Hinchcliffe will take part in the first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event on the streets of St. Petersburg. He will field the No. 77 Chevrolet Silverado RST for Spire Motorsports. Delaware Life will serve as the team's primary sponsor for the event.

“I am super excited to run my first truck race at St. Pete,” said Hinchcliffe. “When they announced the trucks would be running there, I knew I had to try to make something happen because I just love this track and I have always wanted to try something in the NASCAR world. I have been in the Spire family for a long time, so it just made sense to run with them. I can’t thank Dan (Towriss), Jeff (Dickerson), Bill (Anthony) - really everyone at Spire – enough for making this come together.

“It will be a baptism of fire,” Hinchcliffe continued. “Having my first race in a truck being on a street course with no room for error, but these races always look like so much fun, so I am really looking forward to the opportunity. Plus, I love that it’s going to be shown on FOX Sports, with some of my INDYCAR colleagues joining the broadcast, so that should add an extra layer of fun to it.”

Over an 11-year IndyCar career, Hinchcliffe won six races and finished on the podium 18 times in 161 starts. His first career IndyCar victory came in the 2013 St. Petersburg Grand Prix, with two other victories coming on street circuits in Sao Paulo, Brazil and Long Beach, California.

“James had an amazing open-wheel career with wins and poles across all kinds of formulas, but I’m not even sure he’s ever watched a NASCAR race.” quipped Spire Motorsports Co-Owner Jeff Dickerson. “I know it means a little more to (Co-Owner) Dan (Towriss) and I, personally, to be able to do this with him and when he called Dan and wanted to give it a go it seemed right on brand for all of us. This definitely won’t be the first time we’ve been out on a ledge together. We’re all really grateful to Delaware Life for coming along for the ride and giving us a weekend to remember.”

Since stepping away from IndyCar competition following the 2021 season, Hinchcliffe transitioned to serving as a broadcast analyst for NBC Sports from 2022 to 2024. He is now part of the F1 TV broadcast team and joined FOX's IndyCar coverage in 2025.

During the St. Petersburg Grand Prix weekend, Hinchcliffe will compete in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event before moving to the FOX broadcast booth for the NTT IndyCar Series event.

The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Grand Prix of St. Petersburg takes place on Saturday, September 28, with coverage on FOX, the NASCAR Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

-Photo credit: Spire Motorsports