IndyCar's Hinchcliffe entertains on and off track

CEDAR RAPIDS - Fast, fearless and funny.

The first two traits are requirements to be a race car driver. The third might be what sets James Hinchcliffe apart from his colleagues.

The humorous social media whiz and Andretti Autosport winning driver brings his act to Iowa Speedway for the seventh annual IZOD IndyCar Series Iowa Corn Indy 250 on Sunday, beginning at 1:30 p.m. locally. The race will be televised on KCRG-TV9.

The "Mayor of Hinchtown," stemming from his Hinchtown website, has a light-hearted personality off the track. He isn't afraid to make light of himself or to respectfully apply his sense of humor to his IndyCar colleagues.

But, the fun stops when the No. 27 car starts up.

"It's one of those things as soon as the belts are tight and the visor's down a lot of guys change," the Canadian-born driver said. "The change might not be as obvious (with others), but it's there. Whether you're taking the court, the ice or the racetrack, you've got to know when to put you're game face on."

Surf the web and you can find videos of him parodying his pursuit to replace Danica Patrick as the driver of the GoDaddy.com car while impersonating Dario Franchitti and Helio Castroneves, inserting himself into and taking over a Will Power video interview, dressing up as a band leader to tout his sponsor during a mock interview with Patrick.

Hinchcliffe moves in on Power

Hinchcliffe tries to upsatge Patrick

“He is such a great personality,” team owner Michael Andretti to Carlos Mendez of Star-Telegram.com earlier this month. “But he also performs on the racetrack. He's got it all. That's a great thing to have.”

Hinchcliffe has had to work hard to reach this level, joining Andretti Autosport in 2012. He developed an interest in auto racing when his father, Jeremy, began racing vintage cars. The son of another driver raced go-karts, leading to Hinchcliffe getting one for his ninth birthday. The sport was far from natural for him.

"I was awful," Hinchcliffe said with a laugh. "I was not one of those phenom kids that first time they sat in a go-kart had it.

"I really struggled, but I enjoyed it so much that I worked really hard at it. I think that's why getting to this level, working hard comes naturally to me in racing because it was for me coming up."

While some drivers appear miserable, handling the stress and seriousness of racing, Hinchcliffe considers it the "best job in the world." Much of that attitude was formed by his battle to reach this level. The road he has travelled prevents him from taking anything for granted.

"I think that is part of the reason I am so easy-going and loving where I'm at when I'm outside the car, because I'm so lucky to be in this position," Hinchcliffe said. "I know how hard it is to get here. I know how easy it is to lose it. I know how many guys come so close and didn't get the chance."

He said he doesn't want to be 55 years old and realize just how good he had it.

"My last race could have already happened. Who knows?" Hinchcliffe said. "It's never a regret that I want to have that I didn't enjoy the position I was in and appreciate the opportunities that I've had."

Hinchcliffe will likely appreciate this season a little more than others. He claimed his first IndyCar Series win in the season-opening Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg (Fla.) in March.

"To knock it out was such a relief," the 26-year-old Hinchcliffe said. "It was 16 years in the making kind of thing."

Adding to the moment was the fact that he did it at a place that was special to the late-Dan Wheldon, the IndyCar Series driver who died in an on-track accident at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2011. Wheldon was originally slated to replace Patrick with Hinchcliffe replacing Wheldon after the tragedy. Wheldon's sister, Holly, befriended Hinchcliffe and showed her support. She was in the pits most of that milestone weekend.

"You really couldn't have written a better script for it," said Hinchcliffe, noting that his whole family attended. "It was a tremendous day from start to finish."

He didn't have to wait long for his second win, passing Takuma Sato on the final lap to win the Sao Paulo (Brazil) Indy 300 in May. He overcame some troubles and made his way through the field, climbing to fourth with 10 laps left and then methodically passed Simon Pagenaud and Josef Newgarden before taking the lead.

"It was incredible," said Hinchcliffe, praising their utilization of the push-to-pass option. "It shows the strengths of this team because we weren't having the best day. I don't think we had the quickest car necessarily, but the guys played the strategy right and when we needed to be quick we were. We  had the right tires on at the end with enough life on them to get it done."

The wins showed his mentality behind the wheel, which can range from cool as a cucumber and white-knuckler. Surprising that anything can rattle him out considering he scuba dives with sharks and has worked as a television reporter.

"It depends on the day," Hinchcliffe admitted. "The last 20 laps of St. Pete were very tense. I was very nervous, because you're in that situation and that first win is looming and you're dreaming up all the scenarios that are going to take it away from you. In Brazil, it was the opposite because we had such a rough day. ... I think I drove a lot calmer and really kept my head about me, which ended up being important because of the way it all unfolded in the last lap there."

Aside from the wins, the season has been a little inconsistent, yielding three top-five finishes and four in the top 10. Hinchcliffe said they have suffered some bad luck in a few races, entering this weekend ninth in overall points. He doesn't brag he is tied for the lead with two wins in a season where parity rules and almost a dozen drivers can win any weekend.

"Unfortunately in racing you're only as good as your last race," Hinchcliffe said. "I'm a fifth-place guy right now."

Iowa Speedway could be the boost Hinchcliffe needs to straighten out the season. He had a strong chance to win last season before a crash knocked him out of the race won by teammate Ryan Hunter-Reay. Andretti Autosport has more wins at Iowa Speedway than any other team, including the last three.

"There's definitely high expectations for the weekend," Hinchcliffe said. "I love coming here."

Hinchcliffe tries to snag GoDaddy ride.