Marcus Ericsson wins rough season-opening Indycar race in Florida

Jack Harvey was taken to a hospital for observation, and Helio Castroneves needed an ice pack and X-rays. A pair of cars went airborne, the leaders crashed each other and the entire Andretti Autosport fleet was eliminated.

Marcus Ericsson, meanwhile, won the Indycar season-opener. Ericsson outlasted the carnage in St. Petersburg, Fla., for a surprise win for Chip Ganassi Racing. It was supposed to be an Andretti victory, at least based on the speed the team showed all weekend. Romain Grosjean and Colton Herta started on the front row, but a seven-car accident on the first lap knocked out five cars, including Andretti’s Devlin Defrancesco, who was sent airborne when Ben Pedersen slammed into his stopped car. Castroneves limped away from the accident, while Meyer Shank Racing teammate Simon Pagenaud clutched his hand. Castroneves left with an ice pack on his right hand and a clean X-ray on his right knee. Pagenaud said his finger was bruised. Harvey was transported to a hospital — Indycar said it was out of“an abundance of caution” — after Kyle Kirkwood became the second Andretti driver to go airborne and sailed directly over Harvey’s head. Rinus Veekay had slid into a tire barrier, Harvey ran into the back of Veekay and Kirkwood launched over both cars.

Herta was sent into a tire barrier by contact from Will Power, who received a penalty, to leave Grosjean as the last remaining chance for Andretti. But as Grosjean and Scott Mclaughlin raced side by side, the cars touched and slammed into a tire barrier. Ericsson passed Pato O’ward for the win with three laps remaining. O’ward was second in a Chevrolet for Mclaren.