HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. — Shigeaki Hattori, one of eight Japanese-born drivers to compete in the Indianapolis 500 and a NASCAR Craftsman Truck series championship team owner, died April 5 in a car accident Sunday morning (April 6). He was 61.
The native of Okayama in southern Japan, Hattori competed at Indianapolis Motor Speedway three times, earning a pair of starts. After serving as the first alternate to the 33-car field in 2001, he finished 20th in 2002 for Bradley Motorsports, completing 197 laps. The next year, he finished 30th driving for A.J. Foyt Racing as the car’s fuel system failed.
Those two races in the “500” were among Hattori’s 34 career IndyCar starts in a four-year span that ended in 2003. His best series finish came at Texas Motor Speedway when he finished sixth in 2002.
At 32, Hattori moved to the U.S. in 1995, first embarking on an opportunity in Indy Lights, now known as Indy NXT by Firestone. He won races at Homestead-Miami Speedway and World Wide Technology Raceway, starting in the top three on both occasions for Indy Regency Racing.
Hattori made his IndyCar debut in 1999, making eight Champ Car World Series starts for Bettenhausen Motorsports. In 2000, he moved to the Indy Racing League, scoring four top-10 finishes in five races for Treadway Racing.
Hattori’s IndyCar career featured rides with five teams using five different engine badging.
His passion for motorsports ultimately led him to NASCAR, where he competed in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 2004 and 2005. He transitioned to team ownership in 2008 and founded Hattori Racing Enterprises.
He won 14 NCTS races as a team owner and reached the ultimate achievement by winning the 2018 series championship with driver Brett Moffitt.
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