The red No. 8 on the official event product trailers at the Music City Grand Prix was inscribed with "The Sneaky Swede," a reference to the Chip Ganassi Racing driver's propensity for dominating while skulking.
But Ericsson said in May that he occasionally felt a little too far from the spotlight after a journalist from his native Sweden informed him he couldn't find any merchandising depicting the driver at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Naturally, it started to alter once Ericsson won the 106th Indy 500 and afterwards held the championship lead for over two months.
But the race that marked the start of his career was the first Music City Grand Prix, which Ericsson won incredulously despite exceptional conditions that necessitated seven pit stops.
Though he had already won his first IndyCar race two months prior,
Ericsson was given more attention after he wrecked on the fifth lap of the Nashville race and was granted a stop-and-go penalty.
Then, they flawlessly executed a plan to overtake pole-sitter Colton Herta (who crashed with five laps left while futilely chasing the lead).
Ericsson, who re-signed with Ganassi's club a few weeks later, stated, "Yeah, that was a tremendous triumph for me. It was the first Music. Many people are watching the City Grand Prix in the heart of Nashville. Therefore, making history by being the first winner was fantastic and helped cement my position as the best IndyCar driver. It was a significant victory, and I plan to build on it Sunday.
The No. 8 Dallara-Honda driver might use another boost in momentum after losing the points lead during the July 30 race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road circuit. He will also face challenges again on Sunday in Nashville after starting 18th out of 26 cars.
It's strange considering that Ericsson has rated street circuits outside of the Indy oval this season as his greatest strength, but he has battled to find the handling all weekend while being slow. Except for Long Beach, where a late collision prevented him from reaching the podium, he has finished in the top 10 on all street circuits.
We were the fastest vehicles in both those races, St. Pete and Long Beach, Ericsson remarked on Thursday before setting out for his first lap. "St. Pete, we were speeding along when I received the pit lane penalty, which I still believe was very severe and sent us to the back of the pack, but we still managed to finish in the top ten. I made a mistake on a restart at Long Beach when running P3 late in the race and stuffed it in the wall.
"I'm looking forward to this weekend since our performance on street courses has been perhaps our best as a team. I have a lot of faith that we will compete on Sunday for the victory.
Marcus Ericsson and Will Power are speaking with Alexander Rossi and Roger Penske before the July 30 race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The 2022 NTT IndyCar Series has four races left, and the teams are nine points separated (Kristin Enzor/For IndyStar Via USA TODAY Sports Images Network).
Will Power of Team Penske, the 2014 series winner, is nine points ahead of Ericsson with four races left this season.
Ericsson described him as "a tremendous driver, excellent competitor, and been around for a very long period." "With his consistency and knack for constantly coming back into races, he's had a tremendous season. It's incredible how frequently he seems to be having a poor day yet still manages to get in the top four. He will be challenging to defeat.
Ericsson, who Power referred to as "arguably the finest racer in the series" during the Iowa Speedway race, is anticipating the same from his weekend of racing.
Nashville may present a significant opportunity either way. Power will start ninth after being disqualified in qualifying due to a penalty. Ericsson will create ten spaces behind Power, but he showed last year that anything is possible on the 11-turn, 2.1-mile track.
Dario Franchitti, a four-time IndyCar winner and consultant for Ganassi, also advises Ericsson on handling the championship campaign. At Iowa Speedway, Ericsson "took the battle" to the Penske combination of Power and Race 1 winner Josef Newgarden until his vehicle slipped to ninth after starting in 12th. Ericsson has managed to stanch his points deficit over the last three races. In Race 2, he qualified 15th and placed sixth after finishing sixth. Last week, he improved by moving up 14 positions in a drive from the previous to eleventh, Indy.
We must consider risk vs benefit, according to Ericsson. "It's a risky thing. You overthink things and avoid taking risks since doing so will place you in challenging circumstances. It could have been their best performance of the year (at Indianapolis last week), battling for P15 from the back of the pack. Consequently, I find it challenging to take the same chances since I need to avoid a DNF.
Remembering such things is essential, but there is a tight line to walk. Maximizing each weekend is the way to go. We must succeed if we have a chance. P5, show up. Then We'll be ready to take this one by storm.
Ericsson, 31, is aware that Franchitti was the most recent driver to win the Indy 500 and the IndyCar Series championship in the same year (2010).
The championship was necessary when he arrived in America from European racing and Formula One, but the more time he spent here, the more he realized that the 500 was the race he wanted to win. My current motivation is to perform the double. In the history of IndyCar, it hasn't occurred very often. Winning both in the same year is difficult.
"Since the 500, I've been really motivated to work hard in order to win the title and the double. We can if we act now I'm excited to attempt and accomplish that double and I can't wait to do it."
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