Spire Motorsports will continue to bolster its All-Star Truck lineup. The team will join forces with James Hinchcliffe for a historic race weekend.

According to a Thursday announcement, the former NTT IndyCar Series winner will take over the No. 77 Chevrolet Silverado RST for the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. Hinchcliffe will make his NASCAR debut at a track where he has previous experience. 

Hinchcliffe made 10 starts at the Streets of St. Petersburg during his IndyCar career. He won the 2013 season opener while driving for Andretti, and he posted fourth-place finishes in 2012 and 2018. 

“I am super excited to run my first truck race at St. Pete,” said Hinchcliffe, who also serves an IndyCar analyst for Fox Sports. “When they announced the trucks would be running there, I knew I had to try to make something happen because I just love this track and I have always wanted to try something in the NASCAR world.

“I have been in the Spire family for a long time, so it just made sense to run with them. I can’t thank Dan (Towriss), Jeff (Dickerson), Bill (Anthony) – really everyone at Spire – enough for making this come together.”

The Truck Series teams will take on the Streets of St. Petersburg for the first time early this season. They will go directly from EchoPark Speedway (Atlanta) to St. Petersburg for a doubleheader weekend with the NTT IndyCar Series. 

This 80-lap Truck Series race will take place on Saturday, Feb. 28. It will air at noon ET as Fox provides coverage. 

“It will be a baptism of fire,” Hinchcliffe added. “Having my first race in a truck being on a street course with no room for error, but these races always look like so much fun, so I am really looking forward to the opportunity.

“Plus, I love that it’s going to be shown on Fox Sports, with some of my IndyCar colleagues joining the broadcast, so that should add an extra layer of fun to it.”

Hinchcliffe is not the only driver making a guest start in the historic Truck Series event. Four-time IndyCar champion Dario Franchitti will join Tricon Garage while Dollar Tree serves as his primary sponsor. He will make his first Truck Series start since the 2007 season.Â