The Indianapolis 500 Results in 2022: Marcus Ericsson Withstands a Late Charge to Take the Indy 500 On Dramatic Caution

Pato O’Ward delivered a thrilling late charge in a two-lap shootout at the end of the race, with Pato O’Ward putting up a spectacular last-ditch effort. Scott Dixon dominantly began his 106th Indianapolis 500 for Chip Ganassi Racing. Still, it was Marcus Ericsson who clinched it that way, widening away from a charging Arrow McLaren SP machine driven by Pato O’Ward over the final two laps to win a two-lap shoot out at the famed Brickyard. It was Chip Ganassi’s team’s fifth Indy 500 victory, and it closes out May for them, having started it on top of the standings. The helmet Ericsson was wearing in honor of his countryman and F1 legend, Ronnie Peterson, better known as the “Super Swede,” was painted. The phrase “Sneaky Swede” has been used to describe Ericsson by people around the IndyCar paddock and elsewhere. In his two previous victories on the IndyCar circuit – Belle Isle at Detroit in 2021 and Nashville in 2021 – the 31-year-wold appeared from nowhere to take first place. He didn’t come out of anywhere at Indianapolis, starting fifth. He also avoided any problems and managed to be in the top five every time he raced there. However, his hopes were dashed when his teammate Dixon made a blunder. The plan was for them to save fuel by allowing one car to lead and the other to draft; afterward, switching their positions after a few laps or so as it became clear that the Honda-powered GCR cars weren’t getting the same fuel efficiency as Pato O’Ward and Felix Rosenqvist’s Chevrolet-powered competitors. Callum Ilott slammed into the concrete wall and earned a stop-and-go penalty while Palou was on his second green flag pit stop. He was stranded on the track, but he was out of fuel and had to come to a halt to make a splash, which resulted in an infraction. His race came to an end there, as it were. At the 48-minute mark, Dixon pulled into his final pit stop and made a blunder of the day: he was going too fast. He locked his wheels, producing a puff of smoke, but it was too late; race control told his crew that Dixon had exceeded the speed limit down pit lane and would have to come back and serve a stop-and-go penalty after re-entering the track. “I drove in and had to lock all four years,” said Dixon. “It was a mile-an-hour or so over the limit.” As the race entered its final few stops, a late-race spin for GCR looked precisely what Arrow McLaren SP needed, as O’Ward had cycled to the front and was now just behind Ericsson, who had pitting just a few laps earlier. The miles ticked away one by one, and it appeared that when yet another caution came out right at ten laps to go when Jimmie Johnson slammed his car into the barrier hard, Ericsson would quickly drive away from O’Ward. “I couldn’t believe it,” said Ericsson. “I was praying there wouldn’t be another yellow flag.” The finish was in sight, and race control made the call to throw a yellow and a red as Ericsson led the pack into pit lane with his significant advantage evaporating.

2022 Indy 500 top 10

• Marcus Ericsson
• Pato O’Ward
• Alex Palou
• Santino Ferrucci
• Tony Kanaan
• Helio Castroneves
• Felix Rosenqvist
• Alexander Rossi
• Conor Daly
• Simon Pagenaud