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"He's already niched out this person, it's a natural ability, and he's also (very) quick on the race track."
Four-time series champion Dario Franchitti, a two-time Indy winner, said he didn't think much of Hinchcliffe two years ago when he was racing in the IndyLights Series. Then he took off with Newman-Haas last year, and this season has so far been another huge leap.
"I didn't see it coming. When I saw him two years ago in Indy Lights, he seemed like a nice guy, a nice driver, but nothing special," Franchitti said. "Then he gets in an Indy car and something happened, something clicked. He's driven well since the first time he got in the car. He's fast, but he's smart, too. He knows what he's doing. He's got something out of the car, too: He's got that personality."
Franchitti was also touched on pole day when he noticed Hinchcliffe carrying the late Greg Moore's red gloves in his car. Moore was Hinchcliffe's idol when he was growing up, and the Canadian was one of Franchitti's closest friends when he was killed in a 1999 accident.
"When I saw the red gloves, I knew why he was carrying them," Franchitti said. "That was a beautiful thing. He was paying tribute to his hero."
The next step comes Sunday, when Hinchcliffe has a legitimate shot to win the 500. The entire Andretti organization has been strong, and Ryan Hunter-Reay and Marco Andretti will start third and fourth. Off the track, Go Daddy will debut its first national television ad with Hinchcliffe, who co-stars with Patrick in a spot shot earlier this month.
A win would be life-changing for Hinchcliffe, but he's refusing to look that far ahead.
"This race proves time and time again ... it's not over until it's over," he said. "It's just such a long race, and you've got to be so patient and you never know what can happen. So, for us its really is just trying to take this thing one lap at a time, because there are going to be curve balls thrown at you, there's going to be wrenches thrown in the plans."
So how will he prepare for all of those scenarios? In classic Hinchcliffe fashion, of course.
"You go kick Briscoe in the shin, and you slip something into Hunter-Reay's cornflakes," he laughed.
[Associated Press;
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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