Hinchcliffe was surprised by Neman/Haas announcement

Izod IndyCar Series rookie of the year James Hinchcliffe said he was surprised to learn of Newman/Haas Racing's decision late last week to close its doors.

“My immediate reaction was shock, for sure," Hinchcliffe said in a statement released on Tuesday by his management company. “I obviously was somewhat aware of the fact that the team had recently received some bad news about potential sponsors, but it's Newman/Haas."

“You just sort of always assume that they will find a way to make it work," Hinchcliffe said. “The new cars had been ordered and the engineers were into their preparation. So for sure it was a shock."

“I was surprised for a lot of reasons," Hinchcliffe said. “You always like to think that good results will make the sponsor search easier, and I am sure it does, but this is such a multifaceted sport and business that it takes more than that, and if all the pieces don't fit then these things can happen."

Hinchcliffe still has funding from Sprott, a Canadian company.

“Well, after a season like the one we had, there was certainly some interest from around the paddock," he said. “It was a very flattering thing, really."