FILE- In this June 6, 2020, file photo, James Hinchcliffe prepares for practice at the IndyCar auto race at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas. As of 2020, James Hinchcliffe is dating Rebecca Dalton. “Normally… relationships like this, partnerships like this can take 12 or 24 months to really cultivate and get a company to understand the benefits of a motorsports sponsorship,” Hinchcliffe explained. Many in the paddock feel he deserves the ride, and his team-mates are looking forward to working with him for the rest of the season. While it may not be a full season, that doesn’t mean Hinchcliffe is taking it any less seriously. (Dalton had, coincidentally, played the girlfriend of an injured race car driver on Saving Hope in 2014.) Hinch’s “picture of my face as my facemask” is terrifying. Canadian James Hinchcliffe to run final three IndyCar races with Andretti By The Associated Press Fri., Sept. 25, 2020 timer 2 min. A new podcast and a role on NBC Sports haven’t been the only additions to Hinchcliffe’s off-track life in recent years—last August, he married actress Rebecca Dalton in Ontario, Canada. James has an existing relationship with our team that we’d love to build on and it makes the most sense for him to step in for these last three races. In 2015, during a practice  session for the Indianapolis 500, a suspension failure sent his IndyCar rocketing into the wall at 224 mph, leaving him impaled on a suspension piece which had penetrated the carbon fiber tub. He also knows what that would mean for his career — and landing another full-time ride — beginning as soon as next year. However, neither of … I was in the second race at the Grand Prix (in Indianapolis). The only place to purchase official merchandise from INDYCAR driver James Hinchcliffe! 26 Gainbridge Honda for Andretti Autosport for the remainder of the 2020 season, following Zach Veach‘s departure from the team on Wednesday. James Hinchcliffe is set to drive for Andretti Autosport as Zach Veach’s replacement for the final three races of the 2020 IndyCar season. This move left him in “complete shock and very disappointed with how it was handled,” Hinchcliffe said in an email interview with All Things Automotive, conducted before the 2020 IndyCar season was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic. Hinchcliffe doesn't want to discount he opportunity afforded him by NBC. At the last minute, he asked Dalton, who he knew through a mutual friend in their acting class, to accompany him platonically to the event, Hinchcliffe believing that Dalton, who he described as “the prettiest girl in school” to Indianapolis television station WTHR, was out of his league. Just look at that mask. “It’s always unfortunate to have to change drivers this far into a season, but we have to look at finishing the year the best we can for the 26 team and start evaluating and looking at options for 2021,” Andretti said. "And that’s what makes Hinchcliffe the perfect person to represent our company. “It feels great to get back to my real job,” says James Hinchcliffe, the popular Canadian who lost a full-time ride with Schmidt Peterson Motorsports after last season and is driving an extra car in Sunday's race for powerhouse Andretti Autosport. No team affiliation was mentioned in Thursday's press release. “Hinchcliffe brings an incredible level of skill and charisma to IndyCar, not to mention his genuine empathy for other teams and drivers," Bates said. ", After a brief pause, and with his trademark wit, he added: “Getting a ‘W’ on the board wouldn't hurt things.”, More AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/tag/apf-AutoRacing and https://twitter.com/AP—Sports, 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. Hopefully that puts us in a good position to go out there and have a strong weekend.