A gutsy call from James Hinchcliffe's crew saw the Canadian claim the chequered flag at the inaugural IndyCar Grand Prix of Louisiana on Sunday.

Hinchcliffe won from Team Penske's Helio Castroneves and Schmidt Peterson team-mate James Jakes.

With 14 laps remaining, a full-course caution effectively brought the race to a standstill with a number of frontrunners taking the opportunity to pit.

Instead, Hinchcliffe stayed on the track to move to the head of the field and the 28-year-old benefited from just three more caution-free laps to triumph.

"When we first decided to stay out, I thought, 'wouldn't it be funny if we could make this a one-stopper?'" Hinchcliffe told IndyCar's official website.

"I just never thought it [would happen]. On one hand, I feel badly that we didn't have more green-flag laps for the fans and everybody here at NOLA, but on the other hand, those guys [his pit crew] called it awesome."

The win took Hinchcliffe to fourth overall after two races in the 2015 IndyCar season with the Canadian on 65 points.

Penske's Juan Pablo Montoya (84) remained first overall after his fifth-place finish just outside New Orleans, with Castroneves 10 points adrift in second, while another Penske team-mate Will Power (70) is third.