Swedish driver Ericsson gives Ganassi another Indy 500 win

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Marcus Ericsson, once a Formula One backmarker, is now an IndyCar frontrunner.

And an Indianapolis 500 champion.

Ericsson became the second Swede to win the Indy 500 on Sunday when he held off some of the biggest names in North American auto racing in front of the largest crowd of his life.

“It’s the biggest race in the world,” said Ericsson, who called it his biggest victory “by a million miles.”

The 31-year-old showed up in IndyCar something of a mystery in 2019 following five unremarkable seasons in Formula One. He'd worked his entire life to make it to the top level of motorsports then washed out winless — not even a single podium finish — over 97 starts.

He didn't exactly dazzle in his first season in North America, either. Ericsson was cut loose from his first IndyCar team after just one year, then bought a seat at Chip Ganassi Racing — he made sure to note it when he said “winning the Indy 500, it’s not bad for a pay driver" — and has made steady strides in his 36 races with Ganassi since 2020.

“It’s been tough. I did five years in Formula One, almost a hundred grand prixs, running for small teams, towards the back most of it. You don’t get a lot of credit running in the back. People think you are not very good,” Ericsson said. "I came over here, and people probably didn’t think much of that. I had to work my way here as well, learning American racing.

“Moved here, put my whole life into trying to become an IndyCar and mainly Indianapolis 500 champion. It’s been not easy. It feels good to show that hard works pay off.”

Ericsson took control of the race late — largely because of teammate Scott Dixon's speeding penalty — and had the win in reach until a crash by Ganassi teammate Jimmie