The Canadian driver didn’t care much that weather forced officials to scrap the original duration of the race, 75 laps, in favour of a timed event, that amounted to it going what would just over half the scheduled distance. Hinchcliffe made the most of that decision and his crew’s call not to bring him in to the pits, while most of the leaders in the race came in for service. It was a good call, as it turns out, and Hinchcliffe drove away with the first-ever IndyCar race held at NOLA Motorsports Park.
“The car was unbelievable,” Hinchcliffe said. “We pulled away from a couple of Penskes on the restarts. If we had gone green, I think we could’ve held them off at the end. I’m just so happy.”
The crucial call came on Lap 33. With the front runners heading into pit lane, Hinchcliffe’s race strategist told him to stay out. Hinchcliffe took over a lead he would not relinquish. There would be only three more laps under green-flag conditions in the Indy Grand Prix of Louisiana and Hinchcliffe had his first win since June 2013.
“When we first decided to stay out, I thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be funny if we could make this a one-stopper?’” said Hinchcliffe, whose only pit stop was on Lap 13 of the race. “I just never thought it (would happen).
“At first, I was cursing the yellows that were coming out. But a one-stop strategy — who would have thought that would play out,” he added.
Hinchcliffe admitted to being concerned about whether there was enough fuel in the car to take him to the end of the race. So much so that he kept his thumb over the fuel gauge. Lucky for Hinchcliffe weather conditions kept caution periods coming.
“I didn’t want to know how low I was getting,” he said. “Without all the yellows, we would have come up short.
Veteran IndyCar driver Helio Castroneves, whose car sustained damage early in the race and had to work his way back to the front of the field after repairs, said racing conditions were treacherous.
“It was like ice,” he said. “Our cars, in those conditions, are very difficult.”
Castroneves finished second in the race and counted himself fortunate to be able to overcome the early setback. He said the changing weather conditions and many caution periods made for nearly impossible racing.
“In normal conditions, it’s extremely difficult to come back,” he said. “Amazing that we never gave up and were able to go back in the game.”
Hinchcliffe’s teammate James Jakes finished the Indy Grand Prix of Louisiana in third place.
Team Penske drivers sweep the Top 3 positions in the Verizon IndyCar driver standings. Juan Pablo Montoya finished fifth in this weekend’s race and retains the lead in the series. Castroneves trails him by 10 points and Will Power‘s 70 points place him third, four points further back of the leader.
Next on the 2015 schedule, is one of the showcase events in the IndyCar series, the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. The event, the longest-running street circuit race in North America, will run on April 19, 2015.
