BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — It’s already been two big weeks for Marcus Ericsson, as the Chip Ganassi Racing driver brings the NTT IndyCar Series points lead into Barber Motorsports Park for Sunday’s Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix.
That’s not the biggest thing that has happened to the defending Indianapolis 500 winner.
The popular driver from Sweden married Iris Tritsaris Jondahl on April 17 in Santa Barbara, Calif., the day after the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.
She is a model from Greece and Ericsson is rapidly becoming an international racing star in IndyCar.
Ericsson and Tritsaris Jondahl did a great job keeping the marriage secret as it was not revealed publicly until late last week.
“Why wait?” Ericsson told SPEED SPORT Saturday afternoon at Barber Motorsports Park. “I’m a very lucky guy.
It’s “Great to be Marcus” these days with a beautiful wife and a 15-point lead over Pato O’Ward of Arrow McLaren Racing heading to Sunday’s race starting at 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time. The NBC broadcast begins at 3 p.m. ET.
He loves the European nature of the road course. It reminds the driver from Sweden of the type of race tracks that he competed on in both the junior formulas and in Formula One.
“It reminds me a lot of my early racing career when I was racing a lot in the United Kingdom with a lot of the flowing tracks with a lot of elevation and not a lot of room for errors,” Ericsson said. “Barber really reminds me of that. The flow you get on that track is pretty cool. It’s one of my favorite road courses of the season and I’m really looking forward to it.
“It’s also a very good turnout of fans there as well, which makes it one of the top weekends of the year for me.”
Ericsson believes Barber Motorsports Park reminds him of Alton Park in England, a track where he drove a lot during his junior category days in single-seater racing.
That helped hone his skills on racing open wheel cars are the top level and prepare him for the challenge of racing at Barber Motorsports Park.
“I think turn five at Barber is the best place for overtaking,” Ericsson explained. “You can get someone to be defensive in turn five, then get by them when you get to turn eight. Also, turns 16 and 17 you can catch people by surprise there and get an overtake.
Marcus Ericsson (IndyCar photo)
“There are some spots where you can take advantage, but it is not the easiest track to try and make an overtake.”
Barber Motorsports Park has been called the “Augusta National of Motorsports” – a comparison to the famed Augusta National, home of golf’s famed “The Masters” tournament.
“The facility is absolute top class,” Ericsson said. “Going to Barber Motorsports Park is always a highlight because of the facility and the track is always in top condition. The fans come out strong and camp out there and add to the whole experience.
“Everything for me at Barber Motorsports Park is top class. The races are very interesting as well because there are plenty of pit stops and different strategies going with some good action.
“I’m excited about it. I want to have a strong result there. I haven’t been on the podium at Barber yet, and that is definitely a goal of mine.”
As an IndyCar rookie with Arrow Schmidt Peterson in 2019, Ericsson started 20th and finished seventh. In 2021 with Chip Ganassi Racing in the No. 8 Huski Chocolate Honda, he started sixth and finished eighth.
Last year, he started and finished 12th at Barber Motorsports Park.
“The first year going from 20th to P7 was one of my best races my rookie season,” Ericsson recalled. “I had a really strong race there with some good strategy and race pace. That was a good race for me in my rookie season.
“Last year, we tried a different strategy that didn’t work out and we were stuck in mid-pack. The year before that, we were on for a top-five result until the end when we had a bit of a miscalculation with the fuel and had to save a lot of fuel on the last stint. I dropped from fourth to eighth on that last stint.
“The speed has been there every year but haven’t had that great result. We’ve had solid results, but we want to have more than that this year.”
It is also the race that closes out the month of April in the NTT IndyCar Series and sends the teams and drivers into the “Month of May” at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
To Ericsson, that’s very important because he is the defending winner of the Indianapolis 500 after his thrilling victory last year.
“From Barber onwards, it’s racing every week,” Ericsson said. “It’s what we love. It’s what we do. It’s what we work all winter to prepare for that time of year. It’s kicking into top gear when we get to Barber and starts that streak heading into the part of the season where we get to race nearly every weekend.”
Ericsson also enjoys his trips to Alabama to experience the lifestyle of Southern living, including one of his favorite cuisines, Barbecue.
“I love it,” he said. “I love all kinds of food and I love to experience all kinds of food and I have definitely had some good Barbecue down here. I’m definitely going to have some when I get down there.”
Ericsson also loves how Barber Motorsports Park owner George Barber, and his staff welcome the IndyCar community every year. They have created a special event and given the NTT IndyCar Series a home in the Deep South.
“It’s very important,” Ericsson said. “You want to feel welcome and taken care of and we always get that at Barber. We appreciate that as drivers and that is one of the reasons, we think Barber is one of the best races to go to all year.”
This year, Honda has allowed the Alabama Children’s Hospital to take the spotlight as the sponsor of the annual IndyCar race. It was previously known as the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama, but by putting the emphasis on the Children’s of Alabama Hospital, it gives Ericsson more pride in being part of the Honda family as Honda always looks for ways to give back to the community.
“I’m extremely proud to be part of Honda and powered by Honda and things like this makes me even more happy to be part of the Honda family,” Ericsson said. “I think that’s a great thing they are doing and fully support that.”
The annual IndyCar race at Barber Motorsports Park also includes a large contingent of Honda dealers from Alabama as well as the men and women who help build the Hondas that are on the road at the nearby Honda facility in Lincoln, Alabama.
“We like to meet people at the company because that is an important part to build connections and relationships,” Ericsson said.
When Ericsson arrived in IndyCar in 2019, he had competed in 97 Formula One events. Since that time, Ericsson has developed himself into an IndyCar star.
“I see myself as an IndyCar driver,” Ericsson said. “I’m happy and proud of the years I did in F-1, but I love where I am at the moment, I love being in IndyCar, I love winning races and fighting for championships and running up front.
“I’m definitely living my dream and really enjoy it.”
Keyword: Big Week For Ericsson Both On And Off The Track