James Hinchcliffe has finalized a deal with Fox Sports for an analyst role in the network's IndyCar broadcast booth, a source with direct knowledge of the discussions told IndyStar. The signing of Hinchcliffe, who's expected to partner with fellow ex-NBC IndyCar analyst Townsend Bell and longtime F1TV presenter Will Buxton, keeps one of the sport's most well-respected voices and a fan-favorite member of the paddock in the same role he held with NBC the last three seasons.
Hinchcliffe couldn't immediately be reached for comment. A network representative declined to confirm the news to IndyStar but said Fox hopes to make its IndyCar booth announcement during the series' version of preseason media days this week. Hinchcliffe is expected to be in attendance for IndyCar's content days Tuesday and Wednesday in downtown Indianapolis for his first days as a Fox employee as the series' new exclusive broadcast partner. As IndyStar reported last week, Buxton and Bell are expected to join Hinchcliffe in Fox's IndyCar booth, but whether they had also formalized deals with the network was not immediately clear.
Hinchcliffe, who continues to race endurance rounds in IMSA with Pfaff Motorsports in the GTD Pro class, jumped into the broadcast world in 2020 with NBC after he was dropped by Arrow McLaren with a year left on his contract. That season, Hinchcliffe ran a partial IndyCar calendar with Andretti Global -- six races including the Indy 500 -- and spent the other eight as a pit reporter for NBC's practice, qualifying and race broadcasts.
The following year, he jumped back into a full-time racing role with Andretti but in December 2021 announced his retirement from full-time racing and joined NBC's open IndyCar booth spot created after the network declined to renew Paul Tracy's contract. As Hinchcliffe was during his racing career, which included six wins, the 2016 Indy 500 pole and a daring recovery after nearly losing his life in a scary crash during the Month of May in 2015, Hinchcliffe has remained a fan-favorite, known for his deep connections within the paddock that, knowledge of the car, paddock and its drivers, has made for a seamless fit in the booth.
Buxton, who previously called a couple IndyCar races from the pits with NBC a decade ago, has an extensive broadcast history connected to Formula 1 and the junior formula series in Europe. Most recently, he's served in a presenter role on F1TV's Formula 1 broadcasts since 2018, serving as a pundit during shows when cars aren't on-track. Perhaps even more famously, he has been one of a couple media members who have appeared on F1's behind-the-scenes docuseries 'Drive to Survive'. Before that, he was a pit reporter for NBC on its F1 broadcasts from 2013-2017 and made occasional appearances for select IndyCar races.
As IndyStar reported last week, Buxton is expected to land Fox's IndyCar lead anchor role held almost exclusively the last six years by Diffey, who signed a new multi-year deal with NBC that led him to slide into the anchor chair for the network's NASCAR Cup series broadcast coverage in August, missing the last six IndyCar races. Diffey also continues to play a significant role in NBC's Summer and Winter Olympics coverage as well as its IMSA and SuperMotocross broadcasts.
With Fox's IndyCar booth nearly finalized, its plans for its lineup of IndyCar pit reporters and those who will call Indy NXT races are less clear. As IndyStar reported last week, Fox has held discussions with longtime IndyCar pit reporter and Indy NXT commentator Kevin Lee, while also entertaining pit reporter roles for a trio of current or recent drivers that includes Ryan Hunter-Reay, Jack Harvey and Charlie Kimball. Veteran motorsports journalist Jamie Little has also said she expects to be involved in Fox's IndyCar broadcasts for and around the Indy 500, though Little's role is unclear.
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