‘We see racing and life the same’: Deep bonds tie Marcus Ericsson, engineer Brad Goldberg

INDIANAPOLIS – When Marcus Ericsson picked up his Corvette Z06 for winning the Indy 500, he wanted to share with family – so he immediately went to the home of Brad Goldberg.

Ericsson tooled around the neighborhood with his pace car prize, giving rides to his lead engineer’s two sons, Oliver, 9, and Noah, 7.

“The first stop was their house to show the boys the car, and they loved it,” Ericsson, who also took Goldberg’s mother for a spin, told NBC Sports with a broad smile. “They’re amazing. I love going over and hanging out with the kids and Brad and (wife) Julia. We’ve built a very strong relationship over these four years.

“We’re similar in many ways how we see racing but also life. I think that’s one of the reasons we get along so well.”

As the engineer for Chip Ganassi Racing’s No. 8 Dallara-Honda, Goldberg played a major role in the biggest victory of Ericsson’s career and in his development into an NTT IndyCar Series star who has become a championship contender since last season.

The “Unleashing the Dragon” documentary about the Indy 500 win details the countless hours Ericsson and Goldberg invest in meticulously breaking down every performance aspect to improve their results (they spend days debriefing on each race weekend of the previous year during every offseason).

But their bonds off the track might be just as important to their success.

At least once a month, Ericsson is at the Goldbergs’ house to throw a football around or play lacrosse and miniature golf with the kids. Many times, he’s there to sit on the back porch and just talk racing (or perhaps their shared love of hockey).

“The kids adore him,” Goldberg told NBC Sports. “He’s become an integral part of our family. And our families are very important to