Racing career
A longtime racing fan and friend of Michael Andretti, Hynes began supporting Andretti's IndyCar Series team Andretti Autosport through United Fiber & Data in 2013 as an associate sponsor. [9] UFD upgraded to a primary sponsorship on James Hinchcliffe's No. 27 car for 2014 on a one-year contract, [10] and also sponsored the team's Indy Lights driver Matthew Brabham. [11] The deal ended in 2015, which the Appell lawsuit alleged was worth $11 million a year and resulted in the company having to pay $9 million to the team. [9] UFD returned to Andretti Autosport in 2016 as sponsors for Marco Andretti and Carlos Muñoz, and the former gained further backing the next season after original sponsor H. H. Gregg was on the verge of bankruptcy. [12]
In 2014, he began racing in the Stadium Super Trucks at Honda Indy Toronto. After finishing seventh in his debut, he retired from the weekend's second race after four laps with a mechanical problem. [13] [14] UFD sponsored his truck, and the Team UFD Racing banner was formed to support multiple trucks over the following seasons including series champions Brabham and Paul Morris, SST's first female driver Sara Price, and SST race winners Arie Luyendyk Jr. and E. J. Viso. [15] [16] [17] UFD also sponsored SST's 2017 race weekend at Watkins Glen International, dubbing it the UFD at The Glen. [18] Hynes recorded his first SST podium at the 2015 Valvoline Raceway round in Australia, where he started on the pole and finished third. [19]
In 2016, Hynes joined the newly formed EXR Racing Series, a supercar spec racing championship. He ran as high as second in points and finished fourth. [20] [21] The following year, EXR's endurance racing program debuted its Mitjet EXR LV02 car at the 25 Hours of Thunderhill, where Hynes was one of the five drivers and also worked as crew chief. [22] In August, Hynes, Brabham, and Alexandre Prémat won the EXR class at the Utah Motorsports Campus 6 Hour Enduro. [23]
At the 2017 Clipsal 500 weekend, Hynes ran the SST races in addition to making his Aussie Racing Cars debut. [24] Later in the year at Barbagallo Raceway, he yielded his Aussie Racing Car to fellow SST drivers Sheldon Creed and Robby Gordon as he wanted to focus on SST. [25] [26]
Hynes won his first career SST race in the 2018 season opener at Lake Elsinore Diamond. He initially finished ninth, but video review found that Hynes had taken his mandatory Joker Lap prior to the final lap while many of the leaders waited until said lap, which was not allowed, due to a miscommunication with race officials. Consequently, many of the leaders were bumped down the running order while Hynes was promoted to first place, which he shared with the original winner Apdaly Lopez. [27] He scored his third podium over a year later in the final race of the Gold Coast 600 round. [28]
2022 saw Hynes' best statistical season to date as he finished fourth in points with two podiums at Mid-Ohio and Bristol. [29] [30]
