Ericsson brings it home
The shunt triggered the second red flag stoppage of the day, and when the field rolled once more there were just two laps to go. Ericsson used all his experience to keep well out of range of Ganassi team-mate Dixon, the pair delivering delighted team boss Chip a welcome 1-2. Hinchcliffe claimed a rare podium in third – much needed given that it looks like he’ll soon be looking for another ride for 2022, with Hunter-Reay and Graham Rahal completing the top five.
“Unbelievable,” said the winner through a mile-wide grin. “It just shows in IndyCar anything can happen, you never give up. To get a 1-2 is amazing, I just can’t believe it. This is one of the best performances of my career. Colton should be up on the podium with me and I’m sorry he ended up in the fence. Also apologies to Sebastien [Bourdais] as well. I thought the race had gone green.”
His second victory has vaulted Ericsson up to fifth in the points, which are still led by his team-mate Alex Palou on a day when the Spaniard was never really a contender. He’d received a six-place grid penalty for an unapproved engine change during a test session run in the mid-summer pause in the race schedule. Dixon is second, 42 points down on his team-mate Palou with Arrow McLaren SP’s Pato O’Ward and Penske’s Josef Newgarden between him and Ericsson. Next up is a quick-turnaround second visit this season to the Indianapolis road course, next Saturday. Herta will be hoping to waste little time putting his Nashville heartbreak behind him in the best way possible.
Images courtesy of Motorsport Images.