Ericsson Fends off O’Ward in Two Lap Shootout to Win Indy 500
The Indianapolis 500 raced on May 29, with 33 drivers trying to win one of the three triple crowns in motorsport. The race was decided by 200 laps at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The Indianapolis 500, also called the Indy500, is also nicknamed the greatest spectacle in racing with 33 cars racing at an average of 190 miles per hour for 500 miles. That’s what makes the Indy500 special.
This year’s race had the fastest qualifying speed ever in Indy500 history. Six-time IndyCar champion Scott Dixon had an average of 234.046 miles per hour during his four laps to take the pole position of the main race. Defending IndyCar Champion Alex Palou and Dutch youngster Rinus VeeKay complete the three-car front row.
The green flag waved and Dixon led the pack across the line to start the 106th Indy500. Palou took the lead at the back straight as both cars are on the Chip Ganassi Racing teach. It was a team strategic decision to swap between the lead and keep both cars in front. However, VeeKay refused to let the two teammates get away easily. He overtook Dixon to take second place, interrupting Chip Ganassi Racing’s team strategies.
Good things did not last long for VeeKay as he lost his car in the middle of turn two on Lap 39, causing a fiery crash and the first caution of the day. VeeKay was safe, but he was definitely disappointed that he let all the hard work from the team go to waste. Rookie Callum Illot, also crashed out on the 69th lap in the same corner. Unfortunately, the caution was shown when race leader Palou approached the pit lane, Palou was not able to react quickly enough. He entered the pit lane when it was closed and received a penalty, ending his hopes of winning. Dixon’s two main rivals were taken out of the equation before the race hit the halfway mark.
Romain Grosjean was one driver to look out for as he made his Indy500 debut. Everything was going relatively well until the former Formula 1 driver struck the wall at turn two on Lap 106. The caution was brought out again and the pits were closed. Dixon's team planned to pit him the lap after, but Dixon had no choice but to stay out. He was running on fumes and needed fuel desperately, he tapped the gas pedal for two laps as his team and his family watched anxiously behind the pit walls. Fortunately for him, he successfully coasted his way around until the pits opened. He got the fuel and new tires that he needed to continue his hunt for the win.
When racing resumed, Dixon’s challengers were hometown favorite Connor Daly and Pato O’Ward. O’Ward’s teammate, Felix Rosenqvist, quickly joined the queue. Dixon maintained his lead into the next round of pit stops. Dixon chose to pit first from the lead pack on lap 142, Daly pitted on lap 143 and slotted behind Dixon, and Rosenqvist pitted on lap 144. Rosenqvist cleared both Dixon and Daly when he rejoined the race, but Dixon was able to pass him to regain the lead. O’Ward was the last to pit and he cleared all three of his rivals in the leading pack after the pit stop. His lead was reduced to nothing when Scott McLaughlin lost the car at the apex of turn four, causing another caution.
Dixon immediately jumped O’Ward at the restart in turn one, once again retaking the lead. When the final round of pit stops rolled around, Dixon was once again the first driver to make the stop. However, he made his one and only mistake of the day, locking up his wheels when entering the pit lane. He was given a pit lane speed violation and a stop-and-go penalty. His race was effectively over.
Rosenqvist was now the new race leader, followed by O’Ward, then Marcus Ericsson, who was running consistently in top 10 positions all race. Other than consistency, Ericsson also had the pace. He was held up by Daly, Dixon, and Santino Ferrucci before, but now he has been released. With Dixon and Palou out of the mix, Ericsson became Chip Ganassi Racing’s last hope. Ericsson overtook O’Ward with 20 laps to go and stormed into the lead with 18 laps to go. His pace was quicker than both McLarens’ and he was slowly pulling away from second place.
Just as Ericsson’s victory was on the horizon, his last teammate on the track, Indy500 rookie Jimmy Johnson, hit the wall at turn two, forcing race control to bring out a caution and eventually a red flag to pause the race with five laps to go. After a seven-minute stop that must have felt like hours for Ericsson, the race started behind the pace car. The green-white chequered flag was waved, meaning the race resumed with two laps remaining.
Ericsson led the pack to restart the race while weaving from side to side, trying to shake O’Ward off his slipstream. O’Ward kept hanging on even though Ericsson kept weaving through the back straight. As the white flag approached, O’Ward lined up his last attack, he got a great exit out of turn four, slowly gained on a weaving Ericsson, and pulled to the outside to try a move through turn one. However, he backed off last second as Ericsson refused to give up the clean line. After fending off O’Ward’s attempt, Ericsson pulled a half-second lead on O’Ward on the back straight. Sage Karam was the last driver of the day to fall victim to the turn two wall and cause a caution. The caution sealed the win for Ericsson as he crossed the line to be the second Swede in Indy500 history to win the contest.
Ericsson wore a Ronnie Peterson tribute helmet on that day in honor of the late F1 driver. Peterson was nicknamed the “Super Swede” and Ericsson has a special nickname in the IndyCar paddock, “Sneaky Swede.” Ericsson’s last two wins came out of nowhere, and in traditional Ericsson fashion, his name was barely mentioned before the last 50 laps of the race before winning the most prestigious race in IndyCar. He was handed the milk that was traditionally given to the winner of Indy 500. Even though he chose to have normal whole milk, I bet it tasted sweet to him at that moment.
Ericsson was driving the last surviving Chip Ganassi Racing car, and for team owner Chip Ganassi, it was lucky that its the winning one as well. Ericsson ended Chip Ganassi Racing’s 10-year wait for another Indy 500 triumph. “I can't believe it. I'm so happy,” said the Swede.
