Tracy, however, denied that he had anything to prove in the IRL, despite believing that some people had wanted him to start with a relatively uncompetitive team and show that he was worthy of a place in the field.

"People said I had to come out and prove that I can still drive - and we went from 15th on the grid to fourth," he added, "Oriol ran out of fuel right or had a problem at the end, and we were able to get in front of him right at the line.

"I'm just super happy that I was able to get through the whole race without running out of gas myself. It was hard race and I'm just really proud of the job these guys did for me in the pits, the way the sponsors treated us first class in Canada, and the great Canadian fans. I have to thank Derrick Walker, Tony George, Subway and Northlands for giving me this opportunity. It was just a great job by the whole team."

The two regular Vision drivers appeared to benefit from Tracy's presence in the camp, as AJ Foyt IV improved steadily through the weekend, leading three laps before claiming a twelfth place finish. Ed Carpenter, meanwhile, started from 23rd but posted his best road or street course finish of the season in 13th.