Motor Sports
Sweden’s Marcus Ericsson hands Chip Ganassi another Indy 500 win
Sweden’s Marcus Ericsson hands Chip Ganassi another Indy 500 win
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SportsWriters
Marcus Ericsson beat some of the biggest names in North American auto racing in front of the largest crowd of his life, almost 300,000 racing enthusiasts, to win the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday.
It was Ericsson’s third IndyCar race win in 52 starts.
In spite of the fact that he spent a lot of time learning ovals, he arrived at Indianapolis convinced he could win the 500 after a recent third-place finish at Texas Motor Speedway.
Marcus seized hold of the race late largely because of teammate Scott Dixon’s pit lane speeding penalty and a crash by Chip Ganassi teammate Jimmie Johnson, which spawned a rare red flag at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with four laps to go.
On the final lap, Sage Karam crashed and brought out another caution, allowing Ericsson to coast to the podium under yellow. (Karam was taken to a hospital for treatment of muscular soreness.)
Scandinavia in the house
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In 106 races Ericsson becomes the second Swede to win the Indy 500 and first since Kenny Brack in 1999.
“When that caution came out, I thought it was going to be another restart. I was like, ‘I can’t believe it, another one,’” Ericsson said. “First I was angry, then I just realized that won me the race. It’s an explosion of emotions from that point.”
- Marcus Ericssson
Perserverance pays off
After five unremarkable Formula One seasons, the 31-year-old made an inauspicious entry into IndyCar in 2019. After working his entire life to make it to the top of motorsports, he ended up with no wins – not even a podium finish – in 97 starts.
There’s something special about that first kiss. 🧱 #Indy500 | @GainbridgeLife | #ThisIsMay pic.twitter.com/h0eKAjMp5J
— Indianapolis Motor Speedway (@IMS) May 29, 2022
“Those 10 minutes sitting there in the pit lane during that red flag was some of the hardest 10 minutes of my life,” he said, “thinking what to do, thinking that I’m leading the biggest race in the world, and I’m that close to win it.”
- Marcus Ericssson
Step By Step
It wasn’t exactly his best season in North America, either. When Ericsson was let go from his debut IndyCar team after a year, he bought a seat at Chip Ganassi Racing – he noted that when he said “winning the Indy 500 is not bad for a pay driver” – and has made steady progress in 36 races with Ganassi since 2020. It’s the fifth Indy 500 victory for Chip Ganassi’s team but first since 2012, and rounds off a month in May in which this team delivered a dominant performance.
“It’s the biggest race in the world,” said Ericsson, who called it his biggest victory “by a million miles.”
- Marcus Ericssson
Social comments
Otroligt - Marcus Ericsson vinner Indy 500. Världens största motorstopp.
Marcus Ericsson of Sweden races to victory in Indianapolis 500, wins crown for Chip Ganassi Racing
Sweden’s Ericsson gives Ganassi another Indy 500 victory
Marcus Ericsson of Sweden races to victory in Indianapolis 500, wins crown for Chip Ganassi Racing - ESPN http://dlvr.it/SRGw6C
Sweden's Ericsson secures victory at Indy 500 https://espn.com/auto/story/_/id/34006099/marcus-ericsson-sweden-races-victory-indianapolis-500-wins-crown-chip-ganassi-racing?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter…
What's up with these Swedes winning EVERYTHING! cc/ @elitasson
300,000 fans attended the Indy 500 today. Whew.
Sweden's Ericsson secures victory at Indy 500 https://espn.com/auto/story/_/id/34006099/marcus-ericsson-sweden-races-victory-indianapolis-500-wins-crown-chip-ganassi-racing?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter…