WWTR serves as perfect reminder of Ericsson's abilities as he nears the end of his contract

Marcus Ericsson has treated the final season of his three-year deal with Andretti Global as a launching pad to whatever the future holds, and with his front-running performance on Sunday night, potential employers were reminded of what he can deliver on their behalf.

“I think this year has been a big turnaround,” Ericsson said after finishing second to Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden by 0.6s at World Wide Technology Raceway’s 1.25-mile oval. “We've had two DNFs out of our control, Long Beach and Indy GP, when we should have been in the top 10, top six in those two races. I feel like every track we've been to we've been strong. [We've] one a lot of work this winter, I have a new group of people on my car, they've really worked hard to try to get the car a bit more to my liking.

“We have a new damper guy in Michael, a fellow Swede, who has worked really hard to get that package more to my liking. That has been paying off. I feel like I have been driving at my best for sure in my Andretti time this year. It's starting to pay off, as well.”

Ericsson and new race engineer Ron Barhorst have transformed the No. 28 Honda into Andretti’s second-best entry behind Kyle Kirkwood who holds second in the championship. With the run to second at WWTR, Ericsson is back inside the top 10 in ninth and has been strong when adversity hasn’t influenced his results.

With the pole position at Arlington and five top 10s from nine races this season, Ericsson has been flirting with adding to his victory tally. It makes leading 114 of 260 laps at WWTR an impressive feat, but ultimately, the feeling was hollow after Newgarden’s No. 2 Team Penske Chevy proved to be too tough to overtake.

“When you lead almost half the race, then you drive away from mid pack to the lead on pure pace, you want to win the race of course,” Ericsson said of chasing his fifth IndyCar victory. “These races are tough to win. There's a lot of good cars and drivers out there. I felt like we maximized today. I felt like we did everything right. One of those things, one pit sequence, he got the jump on us. That's what happens.

“I think the 28 crew did a great job. Good stops all night, good strategy. I don't see we could have done much different. You have to be happy and proud with that. It was a great result. We put on a great show. We'll just work a bit harder to beat him next time.”