Hinchcliffe Wins Inaugural Grand Prix Of Louisiana [Video]

The track was wet, the rain was falling, and the conditions weren't the kind of conditions that high powered sports cars are supposed to be raced in. Still, they were. Sunday's Inaugural Grand Prix of Louisiana had been in a fight with Mother Nature all weekend long. Qualifying for the event was washed out on Saturday. The race start was pushed up by an hour on Sunday. Despite the the difficulties the event was run and James Hinchcliffe claimed his very first personal Indy Car Series win.

Hinchcliffe spoke spoke to the media about his efforts on the track and just how hard it was to maintain composure in the very wet conditions.

"Visibility was shocking, and there were some pretty big puddles on the track,"

Hinchcliffe's comments were reported in an article published on NOLA.com. The wet conditions weren't the only thing weighing heavy on the winning driver's mind. He and his crew had opted for a one pit stop strategy. This plan would put the eventual winner very close on having enough fuel in the tank to finish the race.

"I got the fuel tank reading on my dash, and I put my thumb over it under caution there because I didn't want to see how low it was getting. But the yellow (flags) played out. For sure, the fuel was getting tight at the end there."

How close was Hinchcliffe on fuel? He ran out just seconds after taking the checkered flag.

Helio Castroneves finished almost a half second behind Hinchcliffe. Hinchcliffe's teammate James Jakes finished third. This marked the first time that the Indy Racing League had brought their series to the NOLA Motorsports Park in Avondale. Despite the weather, the exciting finish and the fan excitement surrounding the event will no doubt keep the track on the series for next year.