Tagliani has competed in open-wheel, stock car, and sports car racing. He has raced in the Atlantic Championship, Champ Car, IndyCar Series, NASCAR Pinty's Series, and NASCAR Xfinity Series.
Tagliani debuted in the Atlantic Championship in 1996 with P-1 Racing, finishing seventh in the overall points standings. He then moved to Forsythe Racing, where he finished third in 1997, and fourth in both 1998 and 1999, claiming two wins in each of those seasons.
Tagliani raced in the Champ Car series from 2000 until its demise in 2007. He was signed by Forsythe Racing for the 2000 season, replacing Greg Moore.
Tagliani came close to his first victory in his third start, taking pole position at Brazil and leading most of the race, but spun out with nine laps to go. In 2001, Tagliani was involved in a collision with Alex Zanardi at the Lausitzring that resulted in the loss of Zanardi's legs. Tagliani remained at Forsythe until the end of 2002. He found a job with the Rocketsports team in 2003 and remained there for the 2004 season, in which he earned his first and only Champ Car victory at Road America. In 2005, Tagliani joined Team Australia and finished seventh in the championship. Tagliani returned to Rocketsports for the 2007 season, finishing tenth in points with a best finish of fourth. He earned four pole positions during his Champ Car career.
In 2008, after the Rocketsports team decided not to take part in the IndyCar Series, Tagliani transitioned to stock cars and began racing in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series. He also drove for Conquest Racing in the IndyCar Series Detroit Grand Prix, replacing the injured Enrique Bernoldi. Tagliani continued in the seat for the last two races of the season. Conquest Racing announced that Tagliani would return as a full-time driver for the 2009 season, concentrating on road and street course races after the Indianapolis 500. Ninth place in Toronto proved his best result. Tagliani left Conquest Racing after the 2009 Rexall Edmonton Indy race.
It was announced on August 28, 2009, that Tagliani had signed a four-year deal with an option for a fifth year to drive for start-up FAZZT Race Team in the IZOD IndyCar Series beginning in 2010. After a successful 2010 campaign, FAZZT Race Team was purchased by Sam Schmidt on March 1, 2011, and absorbed into Sam Schmidt Motorsports. Tagliani was retained for a full-time entry during the 2011 season.
In 2011, for the 100th anniversary of the first running of the Indianapolis 500, Tagliani qualified on the pole position with a four-lap average of 227.472 mph. He ran wide in turn 4 on lap 147 and made contact with the outside wall, forcing him to retire from the race the following lap. Tagliani's best finish in the Indianapolis 500 is tenth, achieved in 2010 while driving for FAZZT Race Team. His best performance was arguably the 2016 event when he charged from 33rd starting position to lead 11 laps.
Tagliani has run selected races in the NASCAR Xfinity Series since 2009. In 2014, he drove for Team Penske in two races. At Road America for the Gardner Denver 200, Tagliani won the pole position driving Penske's No. 22. He nearly won the race, but ran out of gas on the final lap. He recovered for second place. At Mid-Ohio, he finished fifth. Later in 2014, Tagliani was announced as the driver for Brad Keselowski Racing's No. 19 in the Camping World Truck Series event at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. He earned the pole position and led the first seven laps, finishing sixteenth. In 2015, Tagliani drove one race for Team Penske in the Xfinity Series at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, earning the pole and finishing second after being hit by the eventual winner. He drove the No. 29 truck for Brad Keselowski Racing at Mosport, leading laps and finishing fifth. In 2016, Tagliani made a one-off appearance for Team Penske at Road America in the Xfinity Series, earning the pole and finishing seventh. He returned to the Truck Series in 2017 for Young's Motorsports. For the 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 250, he moved to Kyle Busch Motorsports' No. 51 Toyota. He returned to the team in August 2020 at the Daytona International Speedway road course.
In 2007, Tagliani debuted in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series. In 2008, he raced in nine out of 13 races, scoring a win at Edmonton Airport. Tagliani competed in two NASCAR Canada Series races in 2009, two in 2013, and one in 2013. He scored four pole positions, but his best finishes were fifth. Tagliani returned as a full-time driver in 2014 with his own team, ending ninth in the overall standings. In 2015, he joined Colin Livingston's team, claiming his second win at Sunset and two third-place finishes. In 2016, he scored three wins at Sunset, Toronto, and Edmonton International Raceway, and finished third in points. Tagliani joined Scott Steckly's 22 Racing team in 2017. In 2018, he finished second in the standings. During the 2019 season, he scored a win at Toronto but was forced out of competing due to myocarditis.
Tagliani has competed in sports cars since the mid-2000s. He finished 59th in GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series GT class points in 2007. In 2013, he drove a Ferrari GRAND-AM GT in the Rolex Sports Car Series. Later, Rocketsports Racing announced that it had signed Tagliani for the full 2014 United SportsCar Championship season to drive an Oreca FLM09.
Tagliani has severe food allergies and has suffered several episodes of anaphylaxis. He has promoted public awareness through Food Allergy Canada and his sponsor Pfizer. Tagliani is also an advocate for young go-karting talent and the go-karting hobby, reflected in his businesses such as Tag E-Karting and Amusement in Sainte-Thérèse, Quebec.
In 2023, Tagliani discussed his career in the NASCAR Pinty's series, including experiences racing in Saskatoon and other Canadian venues. He recorded his first victory in Saskatoon in 2022 and later won at Honda Indy Toronto in 2023.
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