Josef Newgarden may have won at World Wide Technology Raceway, but he made sure Marcus Ericsson’s drive was not overlooked.
Newgarden crossed the line just 0.6613 seconds ahead of Ericsson after a late strategy call swung the race in his favor. Ericsson still led a race-high 114 laps and was a constant threat during a chaotic night in St. Louis.
That made Newgarden’s post-race praise more than routine sportsmanship. He highlighted how much Ericsson has developed on ovals and why the Andretti Global driver deserved respect.
Newgarden says Ericsson earned respect at WWTR
The two drivers spent much of the evening locked in a tense fight near the front. Their battle included a light touch early on, with Newgarden later admitting he may have drifted too high during the exchange.
“You got to give a lot of respect to Marcus. He did a tremendous job tonight. He was super fast. I think he’s become a great oval driver in this series.
“If anything, I should have left him a little bit more room I think. I think I got a little bit high. Thankfully these cars, we’ve seen they’re very robust.
“Even a light touch doesn’t normally result in much. That’s why you also see such close, hard racing. It’s just the nature of IndyCar these days. It was a good fight. He drove a great race. It was fun to battle with him tonight.”
Those were not empty words after a victory. Ericsson had the pace to win, led more laps than anyone else and forced Team Penske to execute perfectly.
Newgarden ultimately took control through an overcut during the Lap 177 and Lap 178 pit cycle. Once the No. 2 Chevrolet had track position, Ericsson could not get close enough after the final restart to make a serious move.
Ericsson’s defeat still showed his oval strength
Even though he finished second, Ericsson had one of the strongest cars in the field. He controlled large stretches of the race and looked positioned to claim his first win of the season.
Newgarden’s comments spoke to the bigger picture. Ericsson has developed into a genuine oval threat, and his performance in St. Louis was another example of his complete IndyCar skill set.
The respect between them was earned on track rather than offered as a post-race formality. They raced hard, brushed wheels and still kept the fight clean at the front of one of the season’s wildest races.
Newgarden left St. Louis with another win and another climb in IndyCar’s record books. Ericsson left with a runner-up finish and public recognition from one of the best oval racers of this era.
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