Marcus Ericsson wins crash-filled opening IndyCar race

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Jack Harvey was taken to a hospital and Helio Castroneves needed an ice pack and X-rays. A pair of cars went airborne, the leaders crashed each other and the entire Andretti Autosport fleet was eliminated.

Indianapolis 500 winner Marcus Ericsson, meanwhile, won the IndyCar season-opening race.

Ericsson outlasted the carnage on the downtown streets of St. Petersburg for a surprise victory for Chip Ganassi Racing on a swampy Sunday in Florida. It was the fourth career IndyCar victory for the Swedish former Formula One driver.

"I think people forget us in some conversations when they talk about the championship," Ericsson said. "We're here to win. We won the 500. We were leading the championship for a long time. We're here to win."

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Huski Chocolate Chip Ganassi Racing driver Marcus Ericsson makes a video call in Victory Lane after winning the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg auto race Sunday, March 5, 2023, in St. Petersburg, Fla.  (AP Photo/Steve Nesius)

It was supposed to be an Andretti car in victory lane, at least based on the speed the team showed all weekend. Romain Grosjean and Colton Herta started on the front row, but things began to unravel right at the start.

A seven-car accident on the very first lap knocked five cars out of the race, including Andretti driver Devlin DeFrancesco, who was sent airborne when rookie Ben Pedersen slammed directly into his stopped car. Castroneves, a four-time Indianapolis 500 winner, limped away from the crash while his Meyer Shank Racing teammate Simon Pagenaud clutched his hand.

Castroneves left IndyCar's new mobile medical care center with an