INDIANAPOLIS — There was just nothing more Marcus Ericsson felt like he could do. He took the lead on the Lap 196 restart, a caution came out and felt like in that moment, he was about to become the fifth ever back-to-back Indy 500 champion.

That went awry when the NTT INDYCAR SERIES decided to display the red flag for the third time in the final 11 laps. Ericsson felt then like he had won this race. There wasn’t enough time to bring the cars down pit road and safety ensure a green flag finish.

Ericsson, who was great on restarts throughout the second half of Sunday’s race now had to lead the final one in a race that no one wanted to be leading in the situation that Ericsson was about to be in.

It was ironic because he used that dragon move in the final laps last year to hold off Pato O’Ward to win. Now, in a one-lap shootout, it was a vastly different position that he was now facing.

“I think it’s harder to lead this year with the aero specs we have,” Ericsson said earlier this month. “I think if you’re in the lead in a scenario like last year, it’s going to be harder to keep that lead is my feeling.”

He was right. He was a lame duck on the restart.

That’s why he made up a plan while sitting on pit road to figure out how to hold off Josef Newgarden.

 “I had a plan to try and keep the lead into (Turn) 1, so I tried to catch him by surprise on the restart by going really early, and I think I did that really, really well,” Ericsson said of the late restart.

Unfortunately, it was never going to work.

Newgarden played it perfectly and Ericsson could do nothing to hold him off on the backstretch.
Ericsson had to settle for second in his No. 8 Dallara-Honda.

“He just had too much of a tow on the back there, so I just couldn’t keep him behind. It’s hard when you get overtaken into 3,” Ericsson continued. “It’s sort of really hard to recover and get a run out of 4.

“I tried, sliding too much in 4; I just couldn’t really get enough there on the checkered.”

As far as why it worked last year and not this one, Ericsson says it’s all due to aero and ambient conditions.

 “I think the cars with the aero spec we had this week or this month was a bit harder to lead,” he says. “We’ve seen it all month, it’s hard to lead.

“I think last year was just a little bit less drag and I think with the ambient and everything, it was a little bit easier to be in the lead than today.

“I knew for that last restart it was going to be almost impossible to keep the lead. Like I said, I think I did a great job there on the restart of catching him by surprise and get a jump and not get overtaken into 1, because every restart it felt like P1 was going to P5 on every restart.

“I think I aced that restart, but unfortunately it wasn’t enough.”

The margin of victory was .0974 of a second, the fourth-closest finish in Indianapolis 500 history. Top three: 1992 – .043 of a second Al Unser Jr. over Scott Goodyear; 2014 – .0600 of a second Ryan Hunter-Reay over Helio Castroneves; 2006 – .0635 of a second Sam Hornish Jr. over Marco Andretti.

Ericsson feels like this win was stolen from him.

“I think it was a tough way to end the race,” he said. “I don’t really agree with how we did that. I don’t think that was a fair way to end the race. But I’m proud of our effort.

“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 restart when half the field is sort of still trying to get out on track when we go green.”

Ericsson says he has no plans to discuss the end of race decisions by race control because the race is over and there’s nothing you can do about it moving forward.

“I just have to deal with it. I think I did everything I could. I did an awesome last restart,” he said. “I caught Josef by surprise and kept the lead into 1, but it wasn’t enough, so for sure it’s hard to swallow.”

The silver lining is that he now has a top two finish in each of the last two Indy 500’s and a top 10 finish in all six races run this season.

“I feel disappointed because I think we did everything right,” Ericsson said. “Like I said, I think when that red came so late, I thought I was a bit too late, so I thought when the yellow came out with three laps to go, whatever, in my world we don’t restart that race.

“But no, it is what it is. You have to play with the cards you’re given, and I think we nailed it today. We did everything right. I did everything right.

“You can’t do more than that. Again, I think Josef is a worthy champion, and I congratulate him on that.

“But I just think it’s a bit tough to sort of accept how it ended. That’s my feeling after. But I’m very proud of our efforts and our performance today.”

“I don’t think it’s a fair way to end the race. I don’t think it’s a right way to end the race. So I can’t agree with that. I think it should have finished under yellow.”

This is the ninth time the reigning Indianapolis 500 winner finished second the following year, with 2022 winner Marcus Ericsson placing second today. The last winner to finish runner-up the year after a win was Helio Castroneves in 2003.