Marcus Ericsson vies for history - and a sizable prize - at the Indy 500

INDIANAPOLIS – As a boy growing up in Kumla, Sweden, Marcus Ericsson tuned into the 1999 Indianapolis 500 with his father. He remembers watching countryman Kenny Bräck win the race.

Ericsson had eyes for Formula One and would soon climb the ladder to become an F1 driver, but the Indy 500 left an impression. Ericsson imagined he might one day compete in the event, which bills itself “the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”

Twenty-three years after that formative moment, following a 2019 pivot to IndyCar, Ericsson won the race in 2022. He returns Sunday to Indianapolis Motor Speedway looking this time to assert, rather than prove, himself.

“It was huge, to be honest,” Ericsson said of the impact last year’s win had on his career. “Winning the Indy 500, it doesn’t get bigger than that. So it’s been a tremendous 12 months since winning it and I’d love to do it again.”

Ericsson, 32, won a Japanese F3 title en route to his 2014 Formula One debut. Racing in middling machinery for Caterham and Sauber, he finished as high as 17th in points during his final season as a full-time F1 driver in 2018.

“I’ve had a lot of tough years,” Ericsson said. “My Formula One spell was definitely not what I wanted. It’s really tough in Formula One if you’re not on one of the bigger teams to show what you can do as a driver. I was very proud to be in Formula One for five years and I did have some very good performances there, but it was hard to show that.”

The Swede was replaced by Antonio Giovinazzi at Sauber in 2019, and IndyCar offered the perfect landing spot. Ericsson, who maintained his childhood interest in the circuit, felt it offered a more level playing field than F1, where the significance of car quality can eclipse driving skill.

Ericsson improved from 17th during his 2019 rookie season to 12th during his second season with Chip Ganassi Racing. His breakout season came in 2021, when he won two races, placed a career-high 11th in the Indianapolis 500 and finished the year sixth in points.

Ericsson found similar success in 2022, but he was not expected to contend in that year’s Indianapolis 500, overshadowed by star teammates including Tony Kanaan and Scott Dixon, both of whom had previously won the event. But starting from fifth place, Ericsson won the race, establishing his spot among the series’ best drivers.

“My whole life has been about trying to succeed in motorsports, and to win the biggest race in the world, you know, it’s something you dream of as a kid,” he said.

“I definitely have shown that I’m one of the top drivers in the series and have been for the last couple of years here. So it feels great. I’ve worked really, really hard to put myself in this position.”

Ericsson said last year’s feat prompted greater respect from his competitors and more fervent support from fans in the United States and Sweden. It thrust him into last year’s IndyCar title hunt (he finished sixth again), and his success has attracted suitors across the grid as his future with Ganassi remains uncertain. Last year’s Indy 500 victory also cemented his face in history, after it became the latest to be sculpted into the trophy awarded to race winners.

Michigan-based automotive supplier BorgWarner commissions that trophy. Since 1995, it also has offered a rolling jackpot to anyone who wins the Indianapolis 500 in back-to-back years.

The race has had only five back-to-back winners in 106 previous editions. Helio Castroneves in 2001 and 2002 was the most recent – and the sole driver to take home the jackpot, which is awarded in addition to the standard prize purse (which last year was a record $3.1 million for Ericsson). The BorgWarner prize grows by $20,000 annually and totaled $160,000 in 2002. If Ericsson wins Sunday, he stands to gain an additional $420,000.

“It’s been over 20 years since it last happened, so it’s definitely not easy, but that’s the goal and we definitely have a strong shot at it,” said Ericsson, who first learned about the rolling prize this winter.

“It’s not like you need extra motivation to win the race, but it definitely doesn’t hurt to know about (the prize) in the back of your head.”