What Does it Take to Win the Indy 500?

Either I win or I crash. It's pretty much that mindset there inside. Let it happen. Winning the biggest race in the world, that's on the line to all the sacrifices throughout my career. It's worth it because of that moment there

final lap, the whole world watching. What's that feel like? From South Bend to Evansville and everywhere in between.

This is Get IN, the show focused on the Hoosier State and the incredible stories happening here today. I'm Nate Spangle, founder of Get Indiana, and I will be your host for today's conversation. Did you know that Indiana has been a hub for sports innovation for over a century, starting with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where pioneers tested game changing tech, like seat belts and anti-lock brakes.

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Today I'm joined by the man, the myth, the legend, Marcus Ericsson, the world renowned Swedish IndyCar driver, and 2022 Indianapolis 500 champion. Marcus is part of the Andretti Global IndyCar team and is in the thick of his season. Today we're gonna be talking about his journey to IndyCar, what life looks like outside of the race car, and why he has chosen to build his life in the Hoosier State.

Marcus, welcome to Get IN.

Yeah, that sounds good. Nice intro. I get pumped. Just hearing that there we, yeah, I'm excited. Well, we,

we've had a little bit of practice, but I have never, I've never introduced. an Indy 500 champion. And, uh, I was, I was pretty fired up for that. I was like, delivered that a few times.

Practicing. Right.

Yeah,

man. Well, welcome to the show. I'm, I'm super excited for this one. When your team reached out on, on Instagram and was like, Hey, we should set up an, I was like, oh my gosh. Like, let's go. I'm, I'm hyped. 'cause uh, I mean obviously through all the, the career of racing and IndyCar, but like the pinnacle right, of winning an Indianapolis 500 is like.

What Get IN is all about telling these stories of, of Hoosiers. And an interesting piece that we're gonna get into later is that you've chosen to call Indianapolis home. And I think that is an interesting piece when the, the biggest names in racing couldn't live anywhere. Like the fact that you choose to live in Indianapolis is, I mean, that pumps me up.

Right. Um, but before we get to that, I do want to talk about kind of like your journey from Sweden. That brought you to Indianapolis and into IndyCar, right? Yeah. So how early in your career did you know, like a professional race car driver is the thing I'm gonna do?

Yeah, I mean, I started with go-karts as a kid.

Uh, I would say most racing drivers would start there. And uh, that was when I was sort of eight years old. I didn't really have like a clear path. Like my family wasn't involved in racing or anything like that, but it was like a rental go-kart place close to where I grew up in Sweden. I kept bugging my dad, like, I want to go, I wanna try, I want to go.

And I think eventually it just got tired of me. Bugging him. So he, he let me have a go and I loved it. And then I was sort of hooked since then and I kept going to that rental kart place. Eventually the owner there helped my dad to buy, buy me a go-kart. And that's sort of where my journey started. Whilst doing go-kart, it was more like a hobby in Sweden.

But then after a few years when I won some championships in Sweden. It sort of became more of a dream than a hobby to become a racing driver. And then, you know, the journey from there to get to all the way to Indianapolis and, and in IndyCar was, was long, obviously through all the junior series. I did Formula 1 for five years, seven years ago.

Now it sounds crazy, but yeah, seven years ago, I, I came here to Indianapolis.

How big is racing in Sweden?

It's pretty big off-road stuff. It's maybe a bit bit more popular or like, it's bigger, but now the last sort of 20 years, I would say racing on tracks, uh, has become more popular again. So it, it is pretty big.

You know, it's quite a small country, Sweden, right? We have. Ice hockey and skiing is like the, the main stuff that people do. But uh, but yeah, racing is still very popular.

I, I just think through, yeah, over in Europe and the, the different sports. It's like, you know, I think American football, but in Indiana racing is like the thing Right.

From growing up in Sweden, what was your, uh, opinion or, or what were your thoughts towards, uh, the Indy 500 or Indianapolis or racing in America?

Yeah, I mean, when I was growing up, I remember with my dad watching TV of the Indy 500 from a very early age, and mainly because we had a Swedish driver called Kenny Bräck who was racing here, and he actually won in, I think 99.

So I remember watching that as a kid growing up. And already then, you know, I was only like 8, 9, 10 years old. I dreamed to become a IndyCar driver one day, do the Indy 500 one day. So you're right, 99, 9 9. There you go. Right. And so he

was kind of the, I mean, in 99, how old were you? Nine years old. Yeah. You're nine years old.

Yeah. And you see, you know, the Swedish driver win the Indy 500 and were you instantly like, you know, that's something I want to do one day. Yeah, I know

for sure a hundred percent. And I remember, you know, late nights with the time difference, late night watching. Kenny race in, you know, not only the 500, but other races as well here in the U.S. That was, uh, it's really cool.

Yeah.

What's the, what's the time difference there? It's six hours. Six. So what starts at one o'clock here would be, yeah. You know, seven o'clock at night, finishing up 10:00 PM That's kinda cool. Yeah. I do think a night race would be fun if you could pull off the thing with all, with all the lights and whatnot.

That, and so you're, you're. Two races into, to this season so far. Yeah. I mean, how, how has this year been going? And, and kinda give us a, a look into as we prep. Uh, I will give the, the caveat, this is gonna come out the week before the Indy 500. Oh, wow. So we're gonna hype everyone up. So we're only two races in as we're recording it, but how, how's the season been going for you thus far?

Uh, it's been pretty good. We had a good offseason, the offseason, quite long in IndyCar. It's like a lot of time to, to work on yourself and work with your team. But yeah, the first two races, the first race in Florida, St. Petersburg was pretty good. Finished sixth there last time out in Thermal was.

Going really well. I qualified fifth, and then we had a bit of a messy race, so it didn't get a good result out of that. But still been a good start. I think we we're, we're onto a good, good season and obviously when people see this, hopefully I've won a couple of races, so yeah, that would be good. He's coming off a really hot stretch where he won the last

three, going for the fourth at the end, 500.

Come on. That's it. Well, you talked about this offseason, right? And how it's long. I mean, when, when does the season wrap up? What time of year?

Uh, usually it's like September. September, early September. It kicks

off in February. Yeah. Right. So you have five months there. Yeah. Um, and again, I, I preface this, that you have chosen to call Indianapolis home.

What does the offseason look like for an IndyCar racer?

I mean, a lot of physical training, I would say, but we also drive like simulators, driver simulators because these days we don't get a chance to drive so much to race car. You know, I would love to drive the race car every week, but we. Can't do that for, you know, they regulate those things and try and keep costs down, uh, et cetera.

Uh, so it's, it is a lot about training, a lot about sponsor things, media things, stuff like that. But also, of course, a bit of time off. You try and, you know. Get some time off for me, go back to Sweden and my wife is Danish, so we go that over to Denmark as well. So just try and sort of relax a little bit when we live here.

You know, we have a house here in Indy. We spend a lot of time here.

How far has the simulator technology come? So, you know, racing go-karts when you're eight, nine years old, you get into professional racing 10 years ago, I don't, I doubt that it was where it is today, but what does the development over the last few years look like from the, the innovation of the technology of simulators?

Very steep. It's really improving all the time and it's getting very real. You know, it's, it is a lot of guys and, and girls that, you know, drive simulators that actually can drive real race cars and, and do that really well. So it's, it's pretty impressive. Obviously we have quite advanced ones with the team.

Like we have Honda really, really super advanced is like. Flying a room, uh, around in a room is pretty crazy.

Like elevated?

Yeah, yeah. No, it's up in air and it's like, uh, yeah, moving around. This is not

like your arcade game, right? This exactly's

like insane

and it gives you like a real 'cause. 'cause the, the one thing that I've heard a bunch is it's heavy, like there's no power steering and it takes a lot of physical strength and neck muscles and to, to be able to do, whether it's a road course or like the oval at, at Indianapolis.

So the training regiment. Yeah. Well, let's talk a little bit about that. It's like, are you in the gym hitting bench press or like what does your training look like? Yeah, I

mean, it's a lot of, uh, cardio training. 'cause our races is like two hours long, so you need a really strong cardio. But because what you're saying, it's no power steering, right?

So it is really heavy to steer those cars. You need quite a bit of upper body strength. Actually, this offseason we use came off. I, I really focused on that. I really tried to, with my trainer, we tried to build some more strength. I had. My, my team said, you can gain 10 pounds of muscle. That's good. You know, within the car.

So it's what I did, so, yeah. Yeah, because that's the other

piece too, right? The seats are like. Form fit to your exact body. Yeah. So you know, you think from February to September it's like you can't be like eating junk and gaining the weight because you won't fit in the right spot. Exactly.

You can't get in your car.

Do you know what your heart rate is? Like? An average, let's say, how long is an average race? Like how many hours? Hours? Two hours?

Yeah.

What's your average heart rate for an entire race?

Usually you're around 80% of your max. For like two hours. It's like, it's crazy. Yeah.

So that's like, it's like running, you know, you're, yeah.

It's like running yeah's, like you're

running fast.

I think this would be fun to, to talk through to, to the listeners. You have like Gatorade or water, like what's the fuel look like? You

have a, yeah, you have a drink system through your, your helmet when you raised it doesn't. Hold a ton of, you know, drink, but I have some like electrolytes and salts and minerals and stuff through there so I can get some energy.

But it's hard, man. When you, when you drive, you're so focused on driving and like to, to drink as well at the same time. You don't have a ton of time for that.

Oh my gosh. I can't imagine. Yeah. You're driving to keep the cars, like

keep yourself like. Yeah, on the track as well as hydrate and all the different things going on.

I can't imagine it's, uh, it's pretty

insane, like mentally. I think that's the thing for, for a racing driver, it's obviously very physical like we talk about, but it's also so mental challenge because you have to be so concentrated. One tiny mistake when you do like 200 miles an hour can end in, you know, big consequences and you can hurt yourself.

Oh. So it's really like the mental. Challenge of a race is, is I, I would say even harder than the physical one. How

do you train your mental performance to race in IndyCar?

I work a lot with a mental coach. So like, just to be in the right sort of mindset the way I think in race weekends, in races and so on.

So I have a mental coach in Sweden. I work with like weekly, the physical training or goes hand in hand with that because if I'm stronger physically, my heart rate's gonna be lower, I gonna be sharper in making my decisions. Uh, I also work with my eyes like, uh, training my eyes. To be like sharp, good reactions and stuff like that.

So it's, it is a lot that goes into it.

What's the most underrated skill that an IndyCar driver needs? Like something that people wouldn't think about?

The ability to have a lot of information, taking a lot of information while still driving, so you need to obviously listen to your team on the radio. You need to change things on your steering wheel because you have like different things on the engine settings.

Have an eye on all the other cars around you on your reference points while driving. There's a lot of things going on that I think people just think that you just jump in and drive, but it's so much more than goes on, uh, during a race.

Yeah. How much of it is natural talent versus hone developed skill?

Over a lot, a lot of time and a lot, a lot of reps.

I think in, in anything you do, you know, natural talent will only get you. So far and when you get, you know, higher up ranks, you get to a point where everyone has a ton of natural talent and then it becomes who is the best at working hard, realizing what you need to work on and, and be honest to yourself.

I think those are the ones that becomes the greats. You know, everyone could be good, but. The, the greats are the one that really puts the work in. Well,

and, and it's clear, right? You, you're one of the greats, you're grinding. I'm, I'm, you've done, I'm trying mean, and you're, you're forever immortalized as an Indy 500 champion, which is, I mean, incredible.

But as you were coming up through, right, you, you ended up, you know, had a career with F1, and then you ended up with IndyCar. But in that journey from Go-Karts, you talked about winning some junior championships. Where was that moment that tipping point of like, I'm gonna go be excellent. I'm gonna go be an excellent driver.

When I did go-karts, it was still like on a level where I, I had a dream to become a racing driver, but I'd never really thought it was gonna become reality because with my family and everything, I, I thought it was not gonna be possible. But then when I was like 15, I got picked up by this junior. Racing program that was gonna help me with sponsors and stuff.

And it was actually run by Kenny Bräck, that, uh, Swedish guy who won the, the 500. And I think it, it was at that point when I realized, okay, I have an opportunity here. I have opportunity to become a racing driver. And that's when sort of the dream kind of become reality. But it was still a long way to become professional.

But sort of at that point, when I was 15, 16, I sort of. Understood that, yeah, this could become my career.

At what age did you have to leave home? Because obviously you have to go out and leave Sweden to go do all these races all across Europe, I'm assuming.

Yeah, so when I was in go-karts, you know, as a, you know, 13, 14, 15-year-old we were traveling, me and my dad to Italy, back and forth all the time.

I was going on my own as well many times. But the first time I really moved from Sweden, uh, from my home was, uh, when I was 18 and I moved to Japan. Which was like other side of the world, all on, on my own. So it was crazy. You're in Japan

by yourself? Yeah. No mom or dad, like, wow.

Yeah, that was pretty insane.

I still don't understand and I keep telling that to my mom, like, how, how do you let me move to Japan on my own? She's like, I don't know what we're thinking. I can't believe we did this. Yeah. It's

like, and in the moment you're like, this is what we have to do, like. You know, you're doing this and then you're in Japan and you go through it.

Weird. And then when, when did you, uh, end up coming to the states?

I would say the first times was with F1. I don't think I've been here before. Uh, but moving here was in, uh, 2019.

What was the F1? Where did you at the,

we raced in Austin.

So that was your first experience. When did you get your first lap? At the Indianapolis Motor Speedway?

Uh, it was in 2019. Yeah. So

2019. Yeah. And you're pulling up to, had you been to Indiana before? Probably not. No. No. So you're pulling up to Indiana for the first time. You get off the plane, you're at the Indianapolis International Airport. You're driving like the, the 15 minute drive that it is to Speedway, maybe like 10.

What did you think as you saw the Speedway for the first time?

It was crazy because the size of it, right? Like you. When you get to the gates of the IMS and you see how big it is, I think that was what blew my mind first of all. And then you see the pagoda, you see the the grandstand, you see the, all the sort of historic things around it, and that really made it very special for me.

Then it was funny because it was like you say, yeah, I actually arrived here in like late 2018 for the first time after I'd signed my first IndyCar contract and. Basically one of the first things, I think the first thing I did was to go to the, to the Speedway. So it's pretty, pretty cool. It's like, do you wanna

move?

Do you wanna see your, where you're gonna live, where you're No, no, don't need to see that. The speedway, like, let's just go to the speedway.

I think it was snowing even. It was crazy.

Well, and And I think that one thing, we are super blessed in Indiana to have the speedway, but sometimes because it is in our backyard, we kind of like, I wouldn't say we take it for granted, but we don't realize the magnitude.

Yeah. Of IMS. And so from the Swedish perspective or just the international perspective, what is the Globe's perspective or opinion of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway? What does it mean on a global level?

It's super big. It's a, it's a legendary place and I think that's goes all the way to Sweden. And when I won the 500, you know, that was one of the things I, I got the chance to bring the Borg-Warner Trophy to Sweden and like.

It was a week long celebration and people came from all over Sweden to see the Borg-Warner Trophy and sort of get a glimpse of it. And I think that says a lot about the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the Indy 500, how big it is. I even got surprised how big it was in Sweden. Like I, I knew people knew about it and sort of I.

Watch the 500, but man, it was like crazy how much people came out just to see that,

like what was going through your mind as you go home, you have the Borg-Warner Trophy and you're, you're back in your home country and Yeah. People show out like what were the emotions that are going through there?

Unreal.

For me, like that was one of the biggest moments with winning the 500, was to bring that Borg-Warner Trophy to Sweden, have like a, a week of it in Sweden, celebrating it with my. You know, family, friends, but also the fans. Was Kenny there? I think he was there. Yeah, I think it was there. Yeah.

Well, you're talking about winning the 500.

We do have to, uh, have to go in and, and we have the clip pulled up and I'd love to talk through like what's going through your head at different moments and we'll pause it throughout and kind of, uh, just dive from a, not necessarily like a tactical racing point, but from an emotional standpoint.

Yep.

The

radio, its you, Marcus.

Yeah, its amazing. You know, this has just been, it's a restart, obviously, with three to go or two to go when we take green. Uh, I think the big thing for me is that it's been like, um, it's been the red flag. I was leading that race. I was gonna win that race, and then it was a red flag restart.

So red flag restart.

Are you like, I'm gonna win this thing. And now it's like, it, it tightens the field back up and you're like, oh shit, I gotta be sharp again.

Yeah, for sure. I mean, I had that race covered and then that red flag came and it sort of. All up to play for, again, you know, the, the whole field is bunched up. So I was really angry, that red flag.

'cause I was like, man, this is just so unfair.

And so right here you kinda like, uh, go up and down the, the track pretty quick, right? Is that snake? Is that what we call that?

Yeah, I think something like that. So here it's our way trying to break the draft. Right, right. So you're there.

Yeah. You're trying to, so that's what you're trying to do.

You're trying to get them off the draft. Yeah. And you go up high there and at this moment, right, you're coming outta turn one, there's two laps to go. Okay. What are, you're just thinking like.

Just trying to be perfect and just focusing on the, the mirrors really to see where they are behind and try and break that draft because the draft is so powerful at Speedway.

So you, you try and do anything to do that and that's why you know every straight I'M is trying to snake it down the, the straights to, to not make them put, you know, be able to pull up the, the side of me.

Okay. So you're going here, we, we are coming out. Turn two there. E

Hey, you'll see now again, snaking down.

He's gonna have but

trying to break it. Okay. So, oh my gosh, I can't imagine. So, so you're going through turn three. You know this piece, you got a little bit of a lead there. At what point were you like, did you feel good? Like, okay, I, I can or not until

the line not here. All right. So, 'cause here, like when we get to want to go, he's got a.

Good run on me. Okay, so we're

here because Yeah, this that comes up right where it's, oh man, I think it's like going into one, right? Yeah.

Yeah. He's gonna be,

he's right on your heels there. Here he's

gonna run. Yeah,

right there.

Okay. He shifts out there. What's going through your head?

Yeah. But here is the moment where it's like gotta either commit or like give up and I was just committed to like, I'm gonna keep my foot in, I'm gonna keep my foot flat.

You're. Foot is through the floor right now.

It's like, you know, either I win or I crash. It's pretty much that mindset there. Winning the biggest race in the world, it's, it's, it's just, that's on the line, so you gotta give it everything. So

your foot's through the floor, he's out on the outside there, makes his run,

and then you come back and you're like, Nope, you're not getting back.

Winning.

And does that cause him to

have to to slow down coming back? Yeah. I mean,

he's gonna have to lift there and then he loses his, his momentum. So it's like that was the winning move. And then, you know, he, he does sort of get a draft again, but it's just not enough time.

Right. So then yeah, you start to put some space there and so not even, so you're coming outta turn It is at two right there.

Yeah. Through the back stretch again. That snake. The snake movement. Yeah, the snake. But you're getting some distance there, right? Yeah. Like the wind it, the wind came in turn one.

Yeah. Yeah, a hundred percent.

And at this point. Okay. They're coming through that final one.

Yeah. Now it goes yellow because,

and what, so when, when that yellow came, was that just like, Hey, it's over.

Yeah. Like you knew it was over at that point.

Yeah.

And so, you know you're gonna win before you even crossed the finish line. You know you're gonna win. Yeah. What's like the first thing through your head?

I actually started to scream like you. It was so much emotion. So I think for me it was so much build up.

So like when I realized it, I started to scream and was like screaming to myself for a while.

Like two hours of focus.

Yeah. Of

of energy. Right. You talk about the fighting, the power steering. Yeah. The last turn one, you know, with, I dunno, what, what's it, what's the time it takes to get around a lap? Like 50 seconds.

40 seconds? Yeah. Something, something like that. Like you're all builds up to that last piece and you're just like, I'm putting my foot through the floor and I'm gonna win this thing or we're going out.

Yeah. Exactly. And it just like

all releases, uh, as you go through here, right. And then it kind of cuts to your crew in the pits.

And that's another piece, right, where it's like you're the one that's driving, you know, like you're, you're the driver and a lot of the, the notoriety and everything. I mean, you have to obviously do that, but how much of the, the credit goes to also the team as well.

No, he's still cheesing over here. I mean, it's an insane moment.

Look at those guys, like they got everyone there. Everyone in the pits are just going nuts. It's a

dream for them as well. You know, like it's, it's like you say, it's not, I might be the one driving the car, but it's like the people that works on the cars. It's their dream as well. Like their ultimate dream is to win in the 500 and they are in the 500 champions as well.

So that's the cool thing is, uh, yeah, it might be a, you know, the driver driving the car, but it's such a team effort. It's such a team sport. If that car wasn't set up right, if my pit stops wasn't. Done. Right. If the strategy wasn't done right, yeah. We would not have won

racing. Especially IndyCar is like a game of just centimeters.

Yeah. And milliseconds and just tiny little like one, oh my gosh. We had like one flat, one flat turn. Yeah. Right of a nut.

Yeah, it's, it's all in the details man. It's all in the

right. As you wrapped up there and you became an Indy 500 champion. Yeah. What was the emotion like? What were you just thinking?

Relief in some ways, because you know, all my life I worked towards. You know, winning a race like that and the winning the 500 is like winning the ultimate race, the biggest race in the world.

So yeah. If you had to choose, would it be win the 500, like like ways comparable to the, like is it a cup or what's the, like the whole IndyCar series,

the 500 for sure is bigger, you know, there's no doubt about that.

You know, that's pretty great. I would say anyone you would ask would pick a 500 over the championship, like for sure. That was the thing after that race is like no matter what happens. After this or before this, I, I'm always gonna be a 500 champion now, and I think that was a big thing for me that. All the hard work, all the sacrifices throughout my career, uh, it's worth it because of that moment there when I win the race.

And, and at that point it was 2022, you had come to Indiana late 2018. Mm-hmm. So like, by that point, you know, you're a few years in and it's like you get to win on. On what seems to be home turf now. Yeah, right. Because you're an Indy guy now.

Yeah, but that was the cool thing as well. When I came, you know, I did my first 500 in 2019 and I don't think I realized just how big it was, but then when I did my first one, I was just like completely blown away.

It was like, oh my God, this is the coolest experience ever. The whole month of May is just so special. Uh, being here in Indy and seeing how the people, how the city lives with the speedway in, in that month of May was. Super cool. And then, you know, to win it here, uh, it's hard to even describe it.

Maine in Indianapolis is just like, I think I would describe it as like, it's just bursting at the seams with energy.

Yeah. Like the entire Indianapolis area. Everywhere.

Everywhere in the whole in India is like, just. People loves it and Yeah, lives with the race.

Oh, it's so cool. It's, it's, it's amazing. And it's so fun like race day. So were you a

snake pit guy or what? I'm not a snake. So

last year I did the cha, this was like the thing that like really helped me like become like, okay, I'm gonna make Indiana focused content.

So I bought a truck, a Facebook marketplace. Yeah. I went on this mission to be the first truck in the infield at the Indy 500. So not snake bip. We hosted our own tailgate. It's a 1986 dodge pickup truck. I love it. It's like this old beater, but I love it. We got there at like 10:00 PM the night before.

Yeah. And, uh, sat in line. I served coffee and donuts to the first 25 people behind me and like just made it a whole big community thing. Yeah. And got in there. And then there was the rain delay and so, oh yeah, of course. It was just the craziest cool experience, but I was like, I think I stayed up for 30 hours straight, like something like that.

It was nuts. It was insane. And we're going to, again, I'm, I'm glutton for pain. I suppose we're gonna do it again this year. Yeah, let's go. Go for back to definitely

no rain delay this. Yeah, right. Would be nice.

Yeah. Well the good part was we actually watched more racing this year than we had ever done before.

And like, I'm usually like come out for the first 2050 laps, whatever there, and then, you know, go act. Hang out in the, hang out for a while and come back and watch the end. But these were like, everything ran dry at the tailgate, so we were just like watching

racing. Yeah. And

I was like. It gave me even more of an appreciation for the art.

That is what you guys do. Quick pause in the action. Do you want to be able to submit questions to my future guests in advance? Do you want access to exclusive discounts with our Hoosier partners? Do you want to make sure you're invited to all of our private in-person events across the state? If you answered yes to all or any of those questions, you need to head to Instagram and subscribe to our get.

In Insider's Channel for 4 99 a month, you're gonna be able to ask our guests questions, get great discounts, and above all, help us fund all of this amazing Indiana content that we create. Head over to Instagram at Nate Spangle and subscribe. Now, let's get back to the episode, but as we do talk about, you know, coming to Indy, what was home like in Sweden?

Like were you from a big town, a small town? What did that look like?

Uh, small town, quite close to like a bigger city. But yeah, we, I'm from a small town called Kumla. So that's where I grew up.

And were you like a tight knit community there? Yeah,

yeah. My buddies, my friends, my family. You know, it's, it's, it's, yeah, a very small place, I would say.

And so,

coming to Indy, have you been able to build a similar, you know, tight knit community here? Maybe even beyond just the, the other people within racing, you know? Yeah,

I was gonna say like, mostly it's, it's racing people, but also since living here for, for quite a while now, we also, you know, hang out with.

You know, local, uh, people as well and, uh, you know, really enjoy that. So it's become, you know, it's home for us. Uh, no doubt about that.

I was gonna say, when did you make the decision that Indy was gonna be home?

Straight away. When I, when I moved to, to IndyCar and was gonna race in IndyCar, for me, it was clear to me I wanted to live in Indianapolis.

Because What made that clear, first of all, it was because of the racing side of things. Because of IMS, because of, you know, most race teams, uh, in IndyCar are based in Indy. So for me, I'm always that kind of guy. I wanna do things all the way. Like, I don't want to sort of half do it. If I want to be successful at something, I believe in working hard and sort of.

Putting everything into it. So that's why, you know, the, that was the first reason I wanted to move to in India. Since living here. It became home and I really enjoyed it and, you know, wanted to stay here and wanted to build, you know, my, uh, my life around living here in Indianapolis.

And when you were picking where to, to get a house at, how, what went through your evaluation process of, okay, uh, do I wanna be a North side?

Do I wanna live out in Speedway Broad? Like what kind of went through your mind there

first moving here, I didn't really know anything about the. City. So I just got a apartment downtown. Uh, I was in that 360 building Market 360. Exactly. Yeah.

Nice spot.

It was nice spot. Yeah. I liked that. But it was when I got to know the city a bit more, I sort of liked it more on the north side.

So then I, I moved to Carmel for a few years and it was nice up there. But then, uh, again, there I had an apartment, uh, but then when me and my wife was looking for houses, we wanted to go a bit more down somewhere in the, in the middle, uh, because it felt like we're living up in Carmel. You sort of missed a bit of that sort of downtown

feel.

You may be the only person that's ever moved to Carmel and then came back to, yeah, to the Indianapolis area. Everyone goes up there to just retire it feels like.

Yeah. But now I'm sort of somewhere in between and that's, I think is optimum spot to be sort of, uh, on the north side. But in between Carmel and, and downtown I think is.

It's, it's the ultimate spot because you can go downtown for, for a past game or dinner or whatever, and you can go up to Carmel if you wanna go out there. And it's just a really good spot.

And so you split time between Sweden and then your wife's from Denmark? Mm-hmm. And then Indy. So when you're in, let's say you're in Sweden or Denmark, what do you miss about Indianapolis?

And when you're in Indianapolis, what do you miss about Sweden and Denmark?

So, what I love about Indianapolis is the convenience, uh, of everything. It's really easy living here. I think, like, you know, everything is open. Everything is. There is restaurants, there is bars, there is cafes. There is just, it's just convenient living.

When I go back to Sweden, it's, you know, it's a lot smaller. It's like not a lot of good restaurants. Convenience is not the same. I, I, I really miss that. I really like that. In, in India, of course, you know, family and friends is always gonna be found, family and friends back home. You, you miss that when you're living out here in Indianapolis, it's still a long way.

But since we've got the ho uh, the house here, we still have people coming and visit and, you know, staying at the house. So that sort of helps out, uh, a lot.

Yeah. Oh, man. The, the community, the family, the friends. Yeah. Like irreplaceable. Yeah, for sure. Where was the moment, because, so you, you came and lived in America for the first time at late 2018.

What, what was like the first American thing that you were just like, I freaking love that. Or maybe the first Indiana thing too. No,

I, I just come back to that convenience thing. Yeah. You know, like fact that you can always. Get what you need. I think at, at any time, if feel like,

are there, are there any local spots or places around Indiana that remind you of home?

I mean, in Sweden it's built a lot on like walking or cycling and like, you know, you like not having to be on your car all the time. So for me, most So not,

not a good fit for you. Obviously being in the car is what you need. Drivable city. That's

true, that is true. Uh, but the Monon is something I really like.

I really like the Monon. It's something I spend a lot of time on, uh, you know, especially during the summer. Uh, so. Running, walking, being on my bike. So that's, that's something that, you know, reminds me of home for sure.

In the middle of the summer. It's so packed. Yeah. Like, I love it, but I'm like an early morning, so I'll get out there early before everyone's out there.

But if you go at like 4:30 PM it's like, no, it's, you gotta, it's punch

all the kids and uh, dogs and everything on the, on the lawn. Yeah. We love to see that though.

So after I did the E 500 last year, like that whole campaign I did. I ran the entire Monon trail. Yeah. So I started up in Sheridan. I know, yeah.

And it was 31 miles down. Yeah. And it was by the last, like, four miles of it. I was like, I hate this thing. I need like a, I need a month detox from the Monon trail.

I, I usually go on my bike and I go all the way up to Sheridan and then like turn around and then uh, cycle back.

And that's the piece too, where like the performance in the training aspect of any, I think people are like, oh, he sits in a car and he drives like.

You like how many days are you training a week?

Oh, pretty much every day. Yeah. Pretty much. My, my trainer iss angry because I'm here. Uh, and I training with him this morning. Sorry. Sorry boss. Um, but I'm doing it this afternoon. So good. Yeah. There you go. You'll just get your workout. It. We're

good. And so are workouts like in the weight room?

Are you running, is it cardio? Yeah, I mean

it's, it's very. Mixed. I would say. I think, you know, you have to be like any professional athlete, you need to train like any professional athlete because like we talked about, it's so tough in the car. It's so like hard heart rate and the mental side of things. I would say in the gym this year I've been doing more weights, so like focusing more on, on weight.

But obviously you can't be like bulky, right? You need to still fit in that car and be like pretty lean. Yeah, it's a mix of things. I have a trainer, Chris, who's doing a really good program with like a mix of, sorry, Chris? Yeah, sorry Chris with like strength, upper body strength. Uh, mixing it with, with cardio?

Well, I think we, we did some internet research and I think recently you picked up another sport, right, in golf. Oh yeah. Is that like in the past, like last year? Yeah, last year you started getting into golf. How is that? Does, yeah. I was gonna say, does your, your experience and your training with in IndyCar translate to golf?

I

think the mental side does. Yeah. There you go. Golf is so mentally frustrating 'cause I can do the perfect. Hit the ball. Perfect. And then next time not perfect.

Yeah. And you, it feels like you're doing the same thing a hundred percent. I just, uh, I very ratings for work. There was like a 15-year-old kid, his name's Blaze.

He's like a golf prodigy. So good. Yeah. And we did a video and he taught me how to play golf and he's just like. Pel in this ball and I look like a idiot. Yeah. And so have there been moments where you like hit slice it and you're just like, what, I'm a, I'm a professional athlete, like I should, I should be able to figure this out?

No, but that's the thing. I think that the annoying thing is I'm so inconsistent, right? But, um, but it's fun. Like I love it and I, but. One thing I was amazed with was how many golf courses it is around Indianapolis. Like I never realized. It's like golf courses everywhere. Like it's insane.

Where uh, where are your favorite golf courses to play in Indiana?

Uh, so I play, usually I have friends up in Bridgewater Club. Oh yeah. So I play up there, uh, Chatham Hills, Bridgewater Club, uh, that's where

LIV's gonna be. Yeah. At Chatham. Yeah, that's gonna be awesome. Go for that. And they're gonna change up the course, uh, to make it, I think a few of 'em longer or something then That's gonna be wild.

Yeah, that's gonna be really cool.

He's, that's pretty sweet for Indy to get something like a global golf tour coming here. Have you, you have to put on your bucket list. Have you played Pete Dye down in French Lick?

No.

It doesn't even look like you're in Indiana. It's like the rolling Southern Indiana Hills and Pete Dye.

Is sick for the course that he made.

Gimme a few months to practice and then I go, Hey, there we go.

Do you think there's a benefit, like you're at the pinnacle, like you are one of the best drivers in the world, but you're picking up something new and being a beginner at golf and like, you know, sucking a lot of times, right?

Yeah. What, is there a benefit, uh, to trying new things and are there other new things that you want to try as you continue to grow?

For sure, a hundred percent. I think in, again, in anything you do, I think. Challenging yourself is al always gonna make you grow as a person, and, and that translates to you as an athlete.

So I definitely think so. I, I'm always curious to try new things and, you know, learn new things.

Is there something that you've tried where you thought like, oh, I'm gonna be great at this and then Absolutely not good.

I mean, I think golf is, is a thing that you, it is easy to underestimate because like you said, it looks pretty, pretty easy.

Like, like, yeah, I should be able to do that, but.

And you see some golfer, like some somebody's grandpa who's like 65, 70 years old and like, you know, maybe just a little bit bigger than an individual and just absolutely stripes the ball. And I'm like, dude, I'm like running. I'm like lifting. I'm doing stuff and I can't hit the ball.

It's crazy. Oh, I hear you man. We come to a sponsored segment by, Orr Fellowship. So they're an organization here in Indiana that is, uh, helping develop young business leaders across the state. And so Marcus, what advice would you give to your 22-year-old self

hard work pays off. I think that's my sort of motto and like, that's what I follow every day.

It's like nothing comes for free. You need to like work hard, put your, put your work in.

And it's like even today, right? It's like you're still continuing to work hard train every day a hundred percent.

Like that's, that's what drives me, you know? Like that drives me and makes me become better every year.

You know? It's, it's about always being. Curious, always being honest to yourself and always trying to to be better.

And you talk about working hard, being like, you know, a core pillar of your, of your character after you won the Indy 500 and you kind of like achieved this amazing success. Was it challenging to find what the next mark is, or was it like immediately like, no, we're gonna do that again?

Yeah, no, I think it even got me more, more motivated winning that race. Like the first thing I did after winning that race was to. Like contact the, uh, a mental coach to help me become even stronger mentally because I realized how much mental. Strength, I needed to win that race. I was like, oh, I need to be even better on this side of things.

And like, I always look at things to try and be better. Yeah, winning the 500 has just made me want it even more.

Well, and, and mental performance as well as mental health is something that you're very passionate about and very invested in. And, uh, talk about some of the initiatives or the ways that you're prioritizing your mental health to help you not only win the E 500, but be the best market you can be.

I try and bring the subject up, you know, I try and talk about it. I think especially in today's day and age, it's a lot, uh. It's, it's sort of a hard world we live in and I think a lot of people does struggle mentally with mental health and stuff like that. So I think bringing that up and talking about it, I think helps.

Uh, I've tried throughout the years to work with different organizations that focus on it. You know, with Riley here in local and Indianapolis, I've done a lot of things with them, and last year I did a race helmet with them for the month, may. Uh, and they had like, uh, mental health in, in kids mainly as like their subject during the May, uh, month of May, which was really important for me to be part of that this year actually, uh, when this is coming out.

People will know that I'm running a very special helmet design for, um, for the 500, uh, together with, uh, the Tim Bergling Foundation, which is, uh, Avicii, the DJ. So his, uh, foundation is, uh, 'cause he, he committed suicide and from mental health. So his dad has started this foundation about bringing that sub subject out there and, and helping, you know.

Especially young people, uh, with mental health issues.

I was in college, I think when the documentary Tim came out, it was very moving. You know, like you see this guy who, if you're, you're for the outside looking in, you're like, oh my gosh. He's going on tour and doing all this great and dropping banger songs.

And I remember watching Tim with all my fraternity brothers and it's like we had loved the Avicii. We still played, you know, and seeing that and being in a room full of, you know, 18 to 22-year-old college age. Masculine dudes and being like, man, we gotta check in on our guys. Yeah. Like even if it might look like it's all sunshine, rainbows, like everyone's, you know, dealing with, with something

a hundred percent.

And I think that's the important thing about it is just talk about it. He's, is he from Sweden? Yeah, he's Swedish and like he was. You know, a big inspiration to me growing up, you know, his music and, and, and all that. Yeah. I just think it's very important and I think it's, especially how today is with social media and all that kind of thing, I think it's very important to, to talk about it for, for that subject to be out there.

Vicki's dad has a foundation in, you're working with them Yeah. For the Indy 500 this year. Yeah. That's awesome. Yeah, I love that. Very cool. Uh, and maybe they'll, they'll give some, uh, some kudos in the snake pit this year and, you know. There we go. Come on. Um, man, this has been as awesome. I do have some fun, uh, lightning round questions that we go through at the end.

What's your favorite Swedish food?

Swedish Meatballs.

Oh, that, there we go. Right? Not the fish. Fish.

No. No. Swedish Fish doesn't exist. That's the funny thing. You know, Swedish Fish, the candy does not exist in Sweden. It's a scam. It's,

you heard it here first. Uh, what's your favorite, what's your favorite Hoosier food.

I, I love that we have everything here. I feel like you have every type of food here, so I don't know. You tell me what, what's the like,

well, I mean, you're in Indiana. Yeah. What is like, I mean, you, you gotta love pork tenderloins. Have you had a pork tenderloin?

Tell me a good place and I can go and try it.

All right,

I'll, I'll give you, you have to gimme some,

yeah.

Okay. You'll, you'll hear a lot of feedback on this of, is it the best pork tenderloin? Yeah. Or is it the biggest pork tenderloin? Yeah. So like Edinburgh Diner down, like south of Indianapolis has the biggest, it's very paper thin, but it takes up an entire, like lunch school tray.

It's huge, but it's like. Is it the best one? Like I don't, I don't, I wouldn't have

the best one. The

best one. Okay.

I'm a big foodie, so like, this is important. One of, one of the

best. I think they only serve it uh, one month a year. One of the best tasting pork tenderloins I've had was at 1 0 1 beer kitchen up in Carmel on the south side of Carmel there.

And, but they only serve it when Hamilton County does their tenderloin trail. So it's like, you gotta get it while supplies last. 'cause they're kind of like a, a more. Um, eloquent establishment. He's not fancy by name, but there's a little bit, it's not always like a, a local diner dive bar. Yeah. And it was just like a phenomenally cooked sandwich.

Yeah. Um, but it's like, almost, I'll find you a good one. And, uh, 'cause there was some dive bars that have just like the best tenderloin. Yeah. Okay. Um, and there's too many, and I don't wanna, I don't want to, uh, spoil any of the secrets there. The other thing that Indiana is really well known for is the, the shrimp cocktail sauce.

Yeah. At St. Elmo. That,

that, that was like my first meal in, in India was St. Elmo's. I mean, classic.

Yeah. You get a plane, you go see the, you go see the speedway. Yeah. And then you gotta go get St. Elmo's. It was

basically my first day in Indianapolis Speedway, St. Elmo's. Someone was like, try this sauce, it's really good.

And then like take a big spoon of it. And I took it and like was. And for,

for like 10 seconds. You're like, what the world did I just do really takes you up. Um, I do wanna know you and your teammates, how has the bond been? Um, and building a a, because obviously you're competing against each other. Yeah. But you're also teammates and you know, are you friends?

How does that relationship work?

It's a bit weird in racing where it's like your teammates is also your competition, right? Like, it's not like another sport where you like win together. Like you want to beat your teammates, but still it's important to work well together because you are still a team. That, you know, wanna improve the car as a team.

So you have to have a good relationship. Uh, I'm lucky because I'm, you know, this year with Colton Herta, Kyle Kirkwood. Great guys.

When you won the Indy 500, how did you celebrate?

I was very lucky because I had my wife here, my mom and dad, brother, like my longtime sponsors, like, I had everyone that's like, been a big part of my career was here in Indy that day.

So it was just, uh, insane that everyone was there. And just to celebrate with them. It was really cool. I actually went down to Prime 47 downtown, so that's like a tradition.

we won't tell St. Elmo that you went to Prime 47. No, they're good too. Yeah, that's a really great state. Yeah. You went to Prime.

Yeah, so we, so that's now a tradition for me to go there after, after the race. So we had a really nice dinner there, uh, with friends and family. Celebrated it there. And then after that, you know, we went to New York for like the media tour within the car. So

the day, so that Sunday.

I was like six hours of interviews first.

Oh yeah. It was like

insane with me. Had poured milk all over me and like standing there in the same suit. There was like the milk smelling like.

Yeah. Six hours later you're like, yeah, it's just like milk and sweat and so then, but it's victory.

Yeah. But yeah, after those six hours of interviews, it was like shower down to Prime 47 dinner and then, you know, celebration with family and friends.

Oh my gosh. We had the guys from HandleBar. Have you seen those like pedal bars that go around downtown? Yeah. Yeah. There was, ah, my gosh, I'll have to look back and, but someone, this might have been two 2010s at some point, someone won the Indy 500 and called them and said, we want to use a pedal bar that night to celebrate.

And he was like, this is a prank call. Like, no way. And the whole team rolls up Indy 500 Champion, the like all the stuff. And they drive that all night long and it was like stops at Wild Beaver. And then it comes back out, goes a few more laps. Back to Wild Beaver Saloon, like stops at Steak 'n Shake and it was just like, like That's awesome to know.

So yours is Prime 47 is Nutrition Prime 47. That's that's a good one. That's

a victory spot. Yeah. I love it.

You. Have been all over the world, literally from Japan to Indiana, you know, Sweden. What is something that the world needs to know about Indiana?

I think it's the people here that makes it special. I think the Indiana people, what is it?

Like the Indiana hospitality, or Hoosier hospitality? Yeah, that's the one. Yeah. I think that's special and I think it's, it's a thing as well. I think people here are super nice and that's why. You know, one of the big reasons why me and my wife have stayed here for so long, you know, a lot of drivers live down in Florida or live all over the place, but we've always loved it here in Indy and I think it's comes from, you know, the people here

At first, were you kind of like, are these people really that night?

Like why are they Yeah. Like what do they want from me? Yeah. You know? Yeah.

It is very different from where I'm from. In Sweden, people are a lot more served in Sweden, you know, and like that's the cool thing where in India, like people are so open and, and friendly, and. Uh, it's easy to make friends. Yeah, it's a nice, really nice place to live.

As you think about all the places you've explored through Indianapolis and Indiana, beyond, what is the hidden gem in Indiana

Gil Tacos. I hope they're gonna gimme some free tacos now. Yeah,

there we go. Wait, so this is up on, it's like by

all, by all the car dealers up there. Not 96th Street Guild

tacos.

Yeah, this is the spot.

Really good. Like their taco al pastor taco is. It's really good.

I try that. That's, that's a spot. Are there other of your, what are some of your other favorite local spots that you like to hang out

at? Uh, Convivio up in Carmel. Good Pasta. Uh, Diavola Pizza is like the best pizza in town, in my opinion.

Is that 54th in Monon? Yeah, exactly. Grab Mama Carolla's. Yeah. That place is fire.

That one is. Really, if I crave pizza, that's the base I go. And then like just to coffee Café Patachou is my go-to for like lunch brunch kind of thing.

And when you're, when you're out and about how often is it like a ton of people are like, oh my gosh, like I know who this versus, are you like kind of like incognito?

It's,

it's pretty chill, you know, there, you know, every now and then people recognize me, but again, like here in India, I feel like people are so like. It's just people are friendly and like, it's not like people are annoying or like, you know, they respect you, but there will be people coming up and say like, good luck.

Or like, you know, I'm a big fan or want to take a picture or something, which I just love, you know, I think that's, that's just cool and you know, I appreciate that.

And it's like sometimes they're probably talking to you, but it's just 'cause like they're just friendly and like, go good. Have a good day or whatever.

Yeah, no, exactly. A hundred percent. Oh, which is is so fun. And the diehard racing vans, it's like when they see someone that's an IndyCar driver or part of a team, like out and about, they're like, oh my gosh.

Like,

yeah,

like month of May has to just be, you know, electric, you know? No, for sure. From the parade to everything.

That's the thing. Like the whole month. I think that's the cool thing with the 500. It's not only a race, it's a whole month and it's a whole like city that lives with this race and. I love all this tradition. I love the parade. I love all the things you got to do around the 500. Is there a

tradition or a part of, of race day or just the month of May that's your favorite?

I mean, race day is, is, you know, walking out on race day and seeing all the fans. Uh, I think that's something that's very, very strong for me is that walking out on the grid. But I think the, the parade for me is really something I appreciate. I really love that, that tradition. I think everything about it is just.

Super, super special.

I talked about with Doug Boles about when like the flyover and all this stuff. Yeah. And it's like the snake pit stops and it seems like 300,000 people just get quiet. Yeah. It's just like. I can't imagine

like having to then go get in like a car and

Yeah. You know, raise your, I was like, no chance.

I'm like, cracking a beer and I'm ready to like hang out and it's like the, the hair in the back of your neck stands up and you're just like, this is, this is the biggest sporting event in the world.

Yeah, it is. It's pretty cool. That's an Indianapolis. It's pretty cool. For real. It's like,

and if you had to put it in perspective, uh, some of the other races, how many attendees or fans are going to some of the other races, I mean,

there's hundreds of thousands of people and I've been, you know, I race Monaco Grand Prix.

I race. You know, Silverstone, I, I race so many of these classic races, that's like some of the biggest races in the world. But for me, like the Indianapolis 500 is still like so above everything else and so unique and so much cooler than any other race I've done. And everyone needs to go, like people needs to go to in the 500.

At least once. Like people need to, you need to, uh, experience it because it's one thing to see it on tv. It's one thing to like see pictures like, but you can't know how it is on the, until you experience

it. There's no excuse. There is something for everyone there. No, a hundred

percent. Like even if it's not even, you don't even have to like racing at all.

It's just an exp. Experience. It's such a cool experience

from people watching to EDM music, to like, you could get a, a nice seat like covered or inside suite. Like there's just so if you love racing, it's good for you. Yeah. If you've never seen a lap of racing in your life, but you'll feel, you'll feel and hear and see the cars go by the first time and you're like.

Where am I? Um, man, I appreciate the time today. I have one final question for you. This is where you get to share the love with someone else who's, who's making a big impact. So who's the Hoosier that we need to keep on our radar? Someone who's doing big things.

Yeah, I would say Tyrese Haliburton.

I mean, he's not local, but he is kind of local. He's local for sure. Getting on the podcast.

Alright, Tyrese, you heard it man. We'll get you in here as soon as uh, you get done. Winning the NBA Championship. There we go. Yeah, we're gonna have you, I mean, did you see I was at the

Pacers game the other night. I mean, I, I wasn't there last night when they did the record, but I was there when the Lakers played and was it

when LeBron tipped it in?

It, it was, it was insane.

Were you there for I was

like screaming, jumping, and then that happened. I couldn't, I couldn't believe it, man. I couldn't believe it.

It's wild too when like LeBron comes to town and it's like everyone's outside the hotel. Everyone's like, 'cause it's like you can track people like India's a small big town, like you know where people are.

I love the Pacers though. Like I was so excited last year watching so many playoff games and I really, yeah, I wanna. I wanna him all the way. Did you see

that, uh, the four Point play by Tyrese? Maybe like two or three weeks ago. Yeah. That was insane. That's like, that's why he's our guy. Yeah. Like, that was awesome.

And then, and obviously Caitlin Clark, right? Yeah. That's so cool. Yeah. From men's and women's basketball. We're just crushing it, man. I love it. Well, hey Marcus, I appreciate you coming on, giving us your time and, and sharing the story of obviously your racing career winning the Indy 500. But what I loved, I think the most is the fact that.

That out of everywhere you could go, we would be, you know, family, friends, back home, sunny beaches of Florida. Like you choose to be a Hoosier because you value, you know, the same, the same stuff that I value, the same stuff that a lot of the listeners value is. The people that are here are so special and, uh, it's awesome to have you as, as a Hoosier and to be part of our Indiana and Indianapolis community.

Best of luck at the time that this airs. It'll be. Next week, you're gonna be competing to go get an Indy 500 championship. We're, we're rooting for you and, uh, keep making, uh, Hoosiers proud.

Will do. Thanks for having me. Appreciate it.

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