As he awaits Ganassi offer, Marcus Ericsson draws much interest from other IndyCar teams

INDIANAPOLIS – Winning the Indy 500 naturally was life-changing for Marcus Ericsson, but more importantly for his IndyCar future, it also has changed how he is perceived as a driver.

As the Swedish star awaits a contract extension offer from Chip Ganassi Racing, Ericsson has been attracting interest from other teams around the paddock.

“I’ve noticed my phone being quite busy the last few months, and teams being pretty interested in my future,” Ericsson told reporters Wednesday morning before practice began at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. “So that’s definitely a new thing for me. Yeah, it feels like people are taking notice and rating me as a driver, and that feels great.”

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That reputational enhancement has been a lifelong career goal for Ericsson, who scuffled through a midfield ride in Formula One for five years and 97 starts. He moved into the NTT IndyCar Series in 2019, but he secured the ride by bringing the sponsorship of Huski Chocolate that was spearheaded by his longtime backer, Swedish billionaire Finn Rausing.

While he has won four times since 2021 and become a star at Ganassi, Ericsson is in a deal that was predicated on his Huski sponsorship, and he has made it clear the next contract he signs will contain no such requirement that he brings money.

The milk was hardly dry on his firesuit after last year’s Indy 500 victory when Ericsson quipped winning the world’s biggest race was “not bad for a pay driver.”

He wants to be paid and regarded in the same league as six-time championship teammate Scott Dixon, Josef Newgarden and Colton Herta – all of whom have seven-figure deals independent of whether they are attached to corporate