Jack Harvey was taken to a hospital and Helio Castroneves wanted an ice pack and X-rays. A pair of vehicles went airborne, the leaders crashed one another and your complete Andretti Autosport fleet was eradicated.
Indianapolis 500 winner Marcus Ericsson, in the meantime, gained the IndyCar season-opening race.
Ericsson outlasted the carnage on the downtown streets of St. Petersburg for a shock victory for Chip Ganassi Racing on a swampy Sunday in Florida. It was the fourth profession IndyCar victory for the Swedish former Formula One driver.
“I think people forget us in some conversations when they talk about the championship,” Ericsson mentioned. “We’re here to win. We won the 500. We were leading the championship for a long time. We’re here to win.”
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Huski Chocolate Chip Ganassi Racing driver Marcus Ericsson makes a video name in Victory Lane after successful the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg auto race Sunday, March 5, 2023, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Steve Nesius)
It was imagined to be an Andretti automotive in victory lane, a minimum of based mostly on the velocity the group confirmed all weekend. Romain Grosjean and Colton Herta began on the entrance row, however issues started to unravel proper firstly.
A seven-car accident on the very first lap knocked 5 vehicles out of the race, together with Andretti driver Devlin DeFrancesco, who was despatched airborne when rookie Ben Pedersen slammed straight into his stopped automotive. Castroneves, a four-time Indianapolis 500 winner, limped away from the crash whereas his Meyer Shank Racing teammate Simon Pagenaud clutched his hand.
Castroneves left IndyCar’s new cell medical care heart with an ice pack on his proper hand, and a clear X-ray taken on his proper knee. Pagenaud mentioned his finger was bruised however he was wonderful.
Harvey wasn’t so fortunate and was briefly seen at a neighborhood hospital after Kyle Kirkwood grew to become the second Andretti driver to go airborne and sailed straight over Harvey’s head. Rinus VeeKay had slid right into a tire barrier, Harvey bumped into the again of VeeKay and Kirkwood launched over each vehicles.
“It was a pretty disappointing way for our race to go there,” Harvey mentioned later by way of his group, Rahal Letterman Lanigan. “I really couldn’t avoid Rinus and then just had a little bit of pain in both wrists when I was trying to get out of the car. Physically, I’d say it was a tough race but I felt great.”
Huski Chocolate Chip Ganassi Racing driver Marcus Ericsson accelerates into Turn 2 on his method to successful the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg auto race Sunday, March 5, 2023, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Steve Nesius)
When Kirkwood launched, Michael Andretti slammed his hand on the pit stand in disgust.
INDYCAR DRIVER DEVLIN DEFRANCESCO GOES AIRBORNE IN SCARY CRASH DURING FIRST RACE OF SEASON
But there was extra to come back.
Herta was despatched right into a tire barrier by contact from reigning IndyCar champion Will Power, who acquired an avoidable contact penalty, to go away Grosjean because the final remaining probability for Andretti.
But as Grosjean and defending race winner Scott McLaughlin raced facet by facet for place, the 2 vehicles touched in what gave the impression to be a sport of rooster headed right into a nook. Neither driver lifted and each vehicles slammed right into a tire barrier.
Grosjean was livid, first throwing his arms up in disgust after which pounding his first on the stack of tires as he screamed. McLaughlin acquired an avoidable contact penalty. Andretti muttered an expletive and buried his head in his fingers.
McLaughlin and Power mentioned they’d search out Grosjean and Herta, respectively, to apologize, and McLaughlin did go to Grosjean’s group truck and hugged him. Scott Dixon, in the meantime, apologized repeatedly for contact with Felix Rosenqvist on the opening lap that set in movement the larger crash behind them.
Ericsson, in the meantime, handed Pato O’Ward for the win with three laps remaining when O’Ward suffered a quick lack of energy. O’Ward pounded his fist in disgust as Ericsson sailed previous for the win for Honda.
O’Ward was second in a Chevrolet for McLaren and will barely discover any phrases to talk in his preliminary disappointment.
PNC Chip Ganassi Racing driver Scott Dixon, left, claps as Huski Chocolate Chip Ganassi Racing driver Marcus Ericsson celebrates on the Victory Lane podium after successful the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg auto race Sunday, March 5, 2023, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Steve Nesius)
“Just very annoying to give it away like that,” O’Ward mentioned with a sigh. “The team can’t have this happen. We just got 10 points thrown away. We’ll have a look at all the data and make sure that doesn’t happen.”
Ericsson had no downside successful that means.
“That’s racing,” he mentioned.
Dixon, the six-time IndyCar champion, was third for Ganassi for his 193rd top-five end, tying him with Mario Andretti for many all-time. Dixon’s top-five share is 52%.
Alexander Rossi was fourth in his debut race with new group McLaren.
Callum Ilott completed a career-best fifth for Juncos Hollinger Racing and was adopted by Graham Rahal of Rahal Letterman Lanigan after which Power of Team Penske. Alex Palou of Ganassi was eighth whereas RLL driver Christian Lundgaard and David Malukas rounded out the highest 10.
Marcus Armstrong, a rookie who moved from F2 in Europe to race for Ganassi in IndyCar this season, completed eleventh in his sequence debut to make Ganassi, and never Andretti, the group of the day.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
UP NEXT: IndyCar subsequent races on April 2 at Texas Motor Speedway, the place Josef Newgarden is the defending race winner.