Hinchcliffe joins NBC Sports as motorsports analyst

In the same week that the six-time race-winner in IndyCar confirmed he was stepping down from full-time racing and a week after Paul Tracy revealed he was departing his role with NBC Sports, Hinchcliffe has taken up the role of analyst, starting with the season-opener, the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on February 27 on NBC. He will join play-by-play announcer Leigh Diffey and fellow-analyst Townsend Bell.

“I couldn’t be more excited to join the NBC Sports team this year,” said Hinchcliffe. “I got a taste of calling IndyCar back in 2020 and that really solidified my desire to get into this side of the sport. It’s always been a passion of mine to educate people about IndyCar, and I couldn’t be more grateful for the opportunity to help tell those stories from the booth alongside a couple of pros in Leigh and Townsend.”

Sam Flood, executive producer and president, NBC Sports and NBCSN, said hiring Hinchcliffe was an easy pick.

“James Hinchcliffe is one of the most dynamic personalities in motorsports and we’re excited to bring ‘The Mayor of Hinchtown’ straight from the car and into the booth for NBC Sports. “James’ engaging personality, combined with his unique perspective of what these drivers are experiencing in real time, will be a great addition to our motorsports coverage.”

NBC Sports’ coverage of the 2022 NTT IndyCar Series will feature a record 14 races on the NBC broadcast network, including the 106th Running of the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 29. The first six races of the season will air on NBC, and all races, qualifying and practice will stream live on Peacock.

The 2021 campaign delivered NBC Sports’ most-watched IndyCar season on record.