- Hoping to post consecutive Indy 500 victories, Marcus Ericsson felt he got robbed in Sunday’s mad dash to the finish.
- He called the wild dash to the checkered flag "an unfair and dangerous end to the race."
- Nevertheless, he congratulated first-time winner Josef Newgarden.
Josef Newgarden, disappointed so many times himself at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Sunday denied Marcus Ericsson the chance to become the first back-to-back Indianapolis 500 winner in 21 years, since Helio Castroneves did so in 2001 and 2002.
While Ericsson, who was the leader when the final restart began, was gracious in his dissatisfaction, nonetheless he was perturbed by the one-lap shootout format that capped a chaotic, three-red-flag conclusion to the 107th running of the NTT IndyCar Series' marquee event.
"I think it wasn't enough laps to go to do what we did. I don't think it's safe to go out of the pits on cold tires for a (one-lap) restart when half the field is sort of still trying to get out on track when we go green," Ericsson said.
"I think we did everything right today. I'm very proud of the No. 8 crew and everyone at Chip Ganassi Racing. I think I did everything right behind the wheel. I did an awesome restart. I think I caught Joseph completely off-guard and got the gap and kept the lead, which no one else had done all day. But I just couldn't hold it on the back(stretch). I knew on that last restart, it would be almost impossible to keep the lead.
"So, I'm proud. Congratulations to Josef. He did everything right, as well, so he's a worthy champion. But I'm just very disappointed with the way that ended. I don't think that was fair. I don't think it's a right way to end the race. We have to play the cards we’re given.
"I feel like we did everything right. I feel like we won that race, and then it sort of got taken away from us," Ericsson said. "The situation is what it is. I think I did everything right. That last restart, I think that was awesome, but it was just not enough today with what we had. But it's tough to accept how it ended. So it's tough to swallow, for sure."
Retiring Tony Kanaan, the 2013 Indianapolis 500 winner, spoke from a different perspective: "The biggest complaint we have every year is that we shouldn't finish under the yellow. Actually, 32 guys are pissed right now, and one guy is happy. That's the reality."
He said speculation about what officials might have done is all "could-woulda-shoulda."
Kanaan said, "I won it under the yellow, and everybody hated it."
Ericsson said afterward that he had no plans to approach or appeal to IndyCar officials.
"No, it is what it is," Ericsson said. "I just have to deal with it. I think I did everything I could."
Susan Wade has lived in the Seattle area for 40 years, but motorsports is in the Indianapolis native’s DNA. She has emerged as one of the leading drag-racing writers with nearly 30 seasons at the racetrack, focusing on the human-interest angle. She was the first non-NASCAR recipient of the prestigious Russ Catlin Award and has covered the sport for the Chicago Tribune, Newark Star-Ledger, and Seattle Times. She has contributed to Autoweek as a freelance writer since 2016.
