Jack Hawksworth is remembered in Indianapolis Motor Speedway circles for strong performances on this road course and several shining moments in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES.
But don’t get the sense that the 32-year-old Englishman who never reached stardom in open-wheel racing somehow thinks that side of the sport gave him an unfair shake. As a whole, motorsports has, and he appreciates it.
“It didn’t go right for me, right?” Hawksworth said of his stint in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. “That’s what it is.
“(Anyone) can look back at life and analyze stuff that could have gone differently – I certainly can and do – but at the same time, that’s how it goes sometimes.”
Hawksworth made his NTT INDYCAR SERIES debut with Bryan Herta Autosport in 2014, earning a front-row start for the series’ first road course race at IMS. He led 31 laps, finished seventh and was able to drive home to his apartment on Indianapolis’ north side afterward.
“Coulda, woulda, shoulda,” Hawksworth said of that race. “But we were in a strong position to win.”
Hawksworth also earned his only podium finish – a third – in the June street race in Houston after starting from the 23rd position. He had climbed from 21st to sixth the day prior in the front half of the doubleheader, and at year’s end he had five top-10 finishes.
Hawksworth moved to AJ Foyt Racing for the 2015 season, living in Houston, but his two years there didn’t produce the same level of results. After five top-10s the first year, he had none the next year. After that, he was without an INDYCAR SERIES ride.
“A lot of good memories in INDYCAR,” he said.
As often happens, the closing of one door is followed by the opening of another. Hawksworth was hired for the opening of the 2017 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, and he hasn’t looked back. Today, he is one of the top drivers in the GTD Pro division, driving a Lexus for Vasser Sullivan.
Since becoming an IMSA regular, Hawksworth has won in class in all five seasons with the team owned by Jimmy Vasser and James “Sulli” Sullivan, including three in 2020. He has earned victories at Daytona International Speedway, the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Sebring International Raceway, Road America and two at Watkins Glen International. Add those to his 2012 class win at IMS driving a prototype fielded by RSR Racing along with 13 poles, and he has carved out a terrific sports car career.
Hawksworth is certainly grateful for it.
“INDYCAR led me to where I am now, right?” he said. “Maybe that didn’t go the way I wanted it to, but at the time I was young (23), and I learned a lot from it. Those experiences, where I am now in my life and my career, I’m better for it, if that makes sense.
“Maybe if I had not gone through that and gone a different direction then maybe I’m a different person right now. I’ve analyzed it and looked back on it as a whole, the last 10 years, and the last 10 years have been very good for me.
“It’s worked out. It’s worked out really well.”
Hawksworth notes he wasn’t born into a family of racers. His goal growing up was to drive for a team that could give him the tools to be successful and perhaps win races. He has that at Vasser Sullivan, and, as he stresses, the team has a supportive manufacturer in Lexus.
“A fantastic team and a fantastic manufacturer,” he said. “Whether it was in INDYCAR or IMSA or even (driving) in Europe, any driver just wants an opportunity to win every weekend, and I feel very fortunate to be in this situation.
“I’ve certainly received a fair shake from motorsports.”
