marcus-ericsson-wins-106th-running-of-the-indy-500

Marcus Ericsson Wins 106th Running of the Indy 500

He had to fight off a late charge from Pato O’Ward and Tony Kanaan, but Marcus Ericsson won the Indy 500 in dramatic fashion. This race was probably focused on the wrong things heading in. Fans that usually just tune into IndyCar for this big event had their eyes on one driver, and it was the Swedish man that won. What a sport.

This race had a lot for fans to enjoy, Back and forth action, lead changes, and even a red flag. So, how did this all play out? Well, for American fans, mainly NASCAR fans it was about one guy. Jimmie Johnson. However, even the master of car control couldn’t handle the field today.

A red flag was thrown after a wreck involving Johnson, and it likely led the way for Marcus Ericsson to come in and take the win in the final laps of the Indy 500.

Drink all the milk you can take, Marcus.

Winning the Indy 500 is a massive deal. For Ericsson, being the second Swede to take the checkered flag in Indy is a huge deal. We knew that those Chip Ganassi Racing cars were going to be fast. Like, really fast. Graham Rahal told us as much when he was on The Marty Smith Podcast.

That Honda made its way around the track, the pit crew kept them competitive and in it, and Ericsson drove one hell of a race.

Scott Dixon expected to just drive to a win with no big deal at one point, but a pit road penalty snatched victory from his fingertips as he finished 21st.

Ericsson Holds Off Late Surge as he Wins the Indy 500

Ericsson taking the win at the Indy 500 was surprising for a number of reasons. He was competitive all day, but other drivers were faster at certain points. When it came down to four laps to go, after the red flag, it looked like Ericsson was going to take it, but he had a fight on his hands.

Felix Rosenqvist, Kanaan, and O’Ward made a charge with a couple of laps to go. For Kanaan and Rosenqvist, it was a surge that would come up very short. A battle for third would take place with Kanaan eventually winning out. However, O’Ward was making a big push.

As the top two drivers came around with about three miles to go, the move was made. Ericsson broke the draft line, though, and was able to defend his position. That checkered flag felt so good for the 31-year-old driver.