Marcus Ericsson Wins the INDYCAR Season Opener, Wild Race on the Streets of St. Pete

In the final stint, Marcus Ericsson was relentlessly chasing Pato O'Ward, going from 2.2539 seconds behind on Lap 81 to .6453-seconds on Lap 90. By Lap 93, the gap was down to .5529-seconds. However, bad luck struck O'Ward on Lap 97 when an engine fire caused his car to slow down, allowing Ericsson to overtake him.

Ericsson, who won his third street course victory, said that he knew his race pace was excellent, and even though O'Ward had an issue, he felt he deserved to win the race. Although he acknowledged that some people might say he lucks into wins, he doesn't care, as a win is a win.

Ericsson and O'Ward's position resulted from the top two drivers colliding on Lap 72. Scott McLaughlin and Romain Grosjean had been battling for the lead after their pit stopped when they crashed in Turn 4, ending both their chances of winning. McLaughlin had led 37 laps and first took over the lead on Lap 36, going with the opposite strategy as Grosjean.

At the same time, the talk around the paddock was that the new green alternate tire would have more tire fall-off than its predecessor, the red tire, but that did not prove to be the case. The tire strategy was the game's name as another two-stop approach won the day. During the race, Grosjean managed to go 31 laps on his tires while McLaughlin and six other drivers were also pushing their tires to the limit.

Although none of them pitted until Lap 35, McLaughlin was the first to exit the pit lane and take the lead. The pit sequence was interrupted by a caution caused by Conor Daly's incident in Turn 9 on Lap 36, which was the second of the day.

The first caution occurred on the opening lap due to a crash involving six cars, including Devlin DeFrancesco, Helio Castroneves, Simon Pagenaud, Santino Ferrucci, Meyer Shank Racing teammates, and rookie Benjamin Pedersen, who collided with DeFrancesco's stationary car. Pedersen's car hit DeFrancesco's car from behind while the track was blocked due to the previous incident. Thankfully, everyone involved was checked and cleared. After the restart on Lap 40, McLaughlin continued to lead the race with Grosjean close behind.

However, a quick caution was triggered by an airborne car driven by Kyle Kirkwood colliding with Jack Harvey's No. 30 Dallara-Honda, which resulted in Harvey being taken to the hospital for precautionary measures. Finally, on Lap 50, Will Power's avoidable contact with Colton Herta ended the latter's day and resulted in a penalty for Power.

The McLaughlin-Grosjean showdown had all the makings of a legendary battle. McLaughlin, on the alternates, and Grosjean, on the primaries, ran neck and neck, but McLaughlin's tires didn't fall off as quickly due to three caution periods during his stint. However, when McLaughlin pitted a lap later than Grosjean on Lap 70, he was stuck behind Agustin Canapino, which slowed his pit time and tightened the battle for the lead.

Meanwhile, Pato O'Ward briefly inherited the lead but encountered an issue that left him frustrated and Ericsson elated. After an offseason of celebrating with the Borg-Warner trophy, Ericsson was eager to prove himself on the track. He and his team worked hard to improve their performance, and their hard work paid off with a win at the speedway. Ericsson drove all afternoon flawlessly and remained in the top five, capitalizing on his competitors' mistakes and earning redemption for last year's pit penalty that cost him a podium finish.

Part one of Ericsson's redemption story was revealed last month when he expressed his disappointment with how his 2022 season ended. Despite leading the championship for a significant period, he ultimately fell short. However, he remains determined to win the tournament this year, which is part two of his redemption story.

To achieve his goal, Ericsson and his team have been focusing on improving their package and identifying areas for improvement. Qualifying has been a particular weakness for the team, with Ericsson often starting in unfavorable positions. While he is confident in his racing abilities, he acknowledges the increasing competitiveness of INDYCAR and the importance of creating strong.

Fortunately, the team has been working hard during the off-season to improve their qualifying performance. Ericsson's career trajectory also suggests that he will be a championship front-runner this season. His enhanced top 5 finishes in 2021 compared to the previous year indicate his potential for success. Oh, and as a fun fact, in three of the last four years, the season-opening winner went on to win the series championship that season.

Team Penske and Andretti Autosport had dominated the past decade at this particular racetrack, winning nine of the last 11 years combined. However, their Sunday struggles were evident as Penske drivers caused two late-race cautions, ending strong Andretti performances. Will Power was penalized for colliding with Colton Herta, who had to retire, while Scott McLaughlin crashed into Romain Grosjean, and both were punished. Josef Newgarden also faced misfortune, losing positions on the final restart before having to retire prematurely.

Despite consistently strong showings, Andretti Autosport's qualifying success has not translated into wins. In this race, two Andretti cars were involved in crashes, finishing in the bottom five, along with two MSR cars. Despite their issues, the strategy had already put Herta and Kirkwood out of contention for top-five finishes.

The decision by Alexander Rossi to leave Andretti Autosport for Arrow McLaren's team for the 2023 NTT INDYCAR Series season has left many wondering what went wrong, as both Rossi and Andretti are highly respected in their respective roles.

The first race of the 2023 NTT INDYCAR season was full of exciting moments and hopefully will set the tone for the rest of the year.