Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
The cast: Drivers – James Hinchcliffe, James Jakes. Chief engineers – Allen McDonald (Hinchcliffe), Dan Hobbs (Jakes)
Twitter: @Hinchtown, @JamesJakes, @SPMIndyCar
The cars: Nos. 5 (Hinchcliffe) and 7 (Jakes) Honda
Snapshot: Both drivers are in their first year with the team co-owned by former Indy car driver Sam Schmidt and Canadian businessman Ric Peterson. … Hinchcliffe, 29, of Toronto, won three Verizon IndyCar Series races (all in 2013, including the opener at St. Petersburg) in three seasons with Andretti Autosport before moving to SPM last fall. Jakes, 27, of England, drove for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing in 2013 and Dale Coyne Racing in 2011-12. … Simon Pagenaud, who drove for the team the past three seasons, moved to Team Penske’s No. 22 car. Mikael Aleshin, who drove the No. 7 entry last season, moved to sports car racing in Europe. … In 2011, Hinchcliffe and Oriol Servia were the last drivers for longtime Indy car competitor Newman/Haas Racing. Carl Haas celebrated his 85th birthday last week. Hinchcliffe won the Sunoco Rookie of the Year and Tony Renna Rising Star awards following the 2011 season. … Hinchcliffe drove for Schmidt in the 2009 Indy Lights season (five podium finishes; fifth in standings). … The golden ale, Hinchtown Hammer Down, brewed by Flat 12 Bierwerks in Indianapolis, is named in his honor.
The stats: In 2014, Hinchcliffe was quick in qualifying on road/street courses, starting on the front row four times. He also tied his personal high by qualifying second for the 98th Indianapolis 500 Mile Race. His best result of third at Mid-Ohio in early August came after advancing 14 positions relative to his qualifying spot. He led five races for a total of 75 laps – with finishes of fifth at Auto Club Speedway, third at Mid-Ohio, fifth at Houston1, fifth at Belle Isle2 and 28th in the Indianapolis 500 (contact). He was running at the finish in 15 races and placed 12th in the standings. … In 50 Verizon IndyCar Series starts, Jakes has a best start and finish of second at Belle Isle in 2013.
The gist: With car primary sponsorship by Arrow Electronics, the team has switched from No. 77 to No. 5 to align with Arrow Electronics' Five Years Out initiative.The technology company based in Denver worked with Schmidt, a quadriplegic, on machine-to-machine technologies that enabled him to drive a modified 2014 Chevrolet Corvette on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval. ... Hinchcliffe and McDonald worked together at Andretti Autosport. … Nick Snyder will be the race strategist for the No. 7 car.
They said it: “I don't see why we can't go out and race for wins right away,” Hinchcliffe said. "(The team has) always done a really good job. They're a relatively young team in this sport when you compare against Penske and Ganassi. The success they've had in that short period was very impressive from the outside. Now getting to see how it works from the inside, I certainly understand why. I always said that racing isn't about cars or tires engines, it's about people. I feel that pressure as well because they have been successful. It's up to me to kind of keep that going.”
Added Jakes: "I think we can do great things. We have a nice amount of test days before the first race, which will be helpful. It's going to be a great year for not just for the drivers and teams, but the fans with the different aero kits. It will put quite a different scene on IndyCar, which is something everybody wants."