HINCHCLIFFE EXCELS AS AMBASSADOR
Serving as IndyCar standard-bearer can be burdensome
Commuting on a GO Transit train from Oakville, Ontario, bound for Exhibition Place, James Hinchcliffe gave the gathered crowd and cameras what they sought Wednesday, adding levity — as is his talent — to what could have otherwise been a staid media gathering emphasizing the importance of public transit use at the upcoming Honda Indy Toronto.
Raised in that nearby suburban enclave along Lake Ontario, the 29-year-old has been heavily leveraged this week as the Verizon IndyCar Series makes its annual stop for a street race along the waterfront. There are meet-andgreets, sponsor events, interviews. And then on to the next.
This week is busier, for sure, but in keeping with the pace the affable, bearded face of North American open-wheel racing is asked to maintain. Still groping for mainstream penetration since Danica Patrick’s defection to NASCAR in 2012, IndyCar officials dispatched rookie Alexander Rossi on the requisite media barnstorm after his Indianapolis 500 win in May and sent recognizable American Graham Rahal, son of 1986 Indy 500 winner Bobby, to the ESPYs on Wednesday and various drivers to daily race promotions where the story lines fit.
Some drivers desire the role and some shun it, but none grasps and excels at it like Hinchcliffe. And so he is wielded, as the series attempts to find another figure — a crucial one, Hinchcliffe said — to help the effort.
“I think there are some really great personalities in this series,” Hinchcliffe told USA TODAY Sports. “I just think a lot of them are — I don’t want to say afraid to, because that’s not the right word (s) — but less willing to kind of be themselves away from the racetrack.”
Hinchcliffe’s buoyant personality lends itself to the role. Weeks after his public return from a gruesome pre-Indianapolis 500 crash in May 2015 in which he nearly bled to death after being skewered through his legs and lower abdomen by a broken suspension piece that penetrated his car, Hinchcliffe was making
wince-worthy mirth of the subject, perhaps made easier by not having conscious memory of the incident. In a sport in which high risk and infrequent reward can turn the lighthearted hard and the serious dour, Hinchcliffe has been able to maintain his affable personality.
That ability has been tested in the weeks preceding his hometown race. Consider these schedule tidbits: uJuly 1, he threw out the first pitch at a Toronto Blue Jays game.
uJuly 6, he was the center of the media day preceding a sponsor meet-and-greet and spent the day at Honda Performance Development after more interviews.
uWednesday, he had a sponsor commitment before the mass transit event and a Holmatro Safety Team photo opportunity.
uThursday, he had the Green Flag Gala and a press dinner.
uFriday’s slate includes a “YouTube Influencer” interview, a Make-A-Wish suite visit, a Honda dinner and two sponsor meet-and-greets.
uHe’ll squeeze in four more meet-and-greets before Sunday’s race (2:30 p.m. ET, CNBC).
“I’ve always tried to make a conscious effort to try and be myself all the time. I didn’t want to be someone different at the racetrack,” he said. “I know that’s not something that’s easy to do, because it is a high-stress, it’s a high-risk environment; it’s a lot of things. But there are a lot of guys that, if they were able to kind of tap into themselves a little bit more, I think you’d see a lot better personalities and there’d be a lot more guys who would be, you know, able to help spread the IndyCar message.”
According to Q Scores, which rate the profile and favorability of athletes by fans, Hinchcliffe is the right man to have out front. In a 2014 study, 19% of fans were familiar with him. And of that group 30% said he was one of their favorite athletes, connoting a strong emotional connection, Q Scores executive vice president Henry Schafer said.
Hinchcliffe’s comedic and media-savvy abilities — he moderates The Mayor on Air with
James Hinchcliffe podcast, produced in conjunction with IndyCar — make him a sought-after commodity for promoters and morning radio show jocks alike.
And just as when the green flag waves, when the red recording light blinks he must be on. He knows that’s part of the job, too. But he’d appreciate some company. Because sometimes the fun doesn’t conjure itself.
“Some days you wake up and you don’t feel great,” he said. “You feel tired, something in your personal life has got you down, whatever, but ... too bad.
“You have to be able to perform whether you’re in a good mood, bad mood or indifferent mood.”