DETROIT, MI — Marcus Ericsson's journey to victory in the 106th Indianapolis 500 may have begun on the streets of Belle Isle in Detroit.

The Chip Ganassi Racing driver will look to extend his winning streak at the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix on Sunday, where he won his maiden NTT IndyCar Series race nearly a year ago.

The tiny, blonde-haired Swedish driver has had quite a ride, although it took him more than 11 years to become an instant phenomenon.

Ericsson landed at Belle Isle on Thursday, exhausted after a week of celebrations following his spectacular triumph in the Indianapolis 500 on May 29.

Ericsson's time has been swallowed up by the tremendous commitment of being an Indy 500 winner since the moment he arrived in the Winners Circle at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

That implies there will be no time to relax.

Ericsson stated Thursday morning in Detroit, "I haven't gotten any sleep. It's been hectic since the checkered flag." "On Sunday night, I only got two hours of sleep, three hours on Monday night, eight hours on Tuesday night, and three hours on Wednesday night."

"It's been a hectic week, but I've loved every second of it" That victory has given me a burst of exhilaration."All I'm trying to do is take everything in and enjoy every minute."

When Ericsson has a few seconds to himself, he reflects on how he won the world's largest race in front of more than 325,000 spectators (the largest single-day sporting event crowd since the COVID-19 pandemic).

"I think I can figure out how I accomplished it," Ericsson said, "but I still can't believe it happened in real life." "I pinch myself now and then to remind myself that it happened."

"I've seen the last two laps ten or fifteen times because it's such a thrilling finish."  It's still bizarre, and it's still hard to comprehend. It's incredible."

Ericsson's No. 8 Huski Chocolate Dallara-Honda felt like it was on top of the racing world as it climbed the lift to the victory stage at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

However, one of the racers congratulated him and was devastated by how he had lost the race.

Scott Dixon led 95 laps and had a near-perfect race until his final pit visit on Lap 175 when he was caught for a pit lane speed penalty. Dixon was heartbroken to finish 21st after a drive-through penalty.

Ericsson stated, "They didn't tell me what happened." "I knew something bad had happened to Scott, but I didn't know what." Scott was no longer in front of me, and the two McLarens were in front of me.

He walked over to me and complimented me, which was extremely generous given his exhaustion from the month and race. I spoke with him both there and at the banquet.

"But one thing we know about Scott is that he's one of the best, and I'm convinced he'll bounce back this weekend in Detroit and challenge for the championship."

Ericsson's Indy 500 victory commitments lasted well into Sunday night before he could finally join his teammates in celebrating. Despite going to bed at a usual hour, he only slept for a few hours. At 5 a.m., he awoke.

Monday, his head was still racing from his incredible career achievement.

He met with William Behrends, the sculptor for the Borg-Warner Trophy, during Monday morning photo shoots at IMS. In the first step of the lengthy process of creating Ericsson's image on the iconic trophy, Behrends will review those photos.

The usual winner's photo was taken at the "Yard of Bricks," along with a slew of other cameras.

When a Chip Ganassi Racing driver wins the Indy 500, the team's Indianapolis shop invites all of its almost 200 employees to celebrate with them on Monday. That means Ericsson took individual photos with Dixon, Alex Palou, Tony Kanaan, and Jimmie Johnson (along with many of their family and friends).

After everything was over, media interviews continued until 4 p.m. ET Monday. Then, at the JW Marriott Hotel in downtown Indianapolis, Ericsson prepared for the Indy 500 Victory Celebration. Ericsson received payment for more than $3 million due to the event.

The crowd began to leave the banquet hall at about 11 p.m., but Ericsson's night was far from over.

"I had one hour on Monday before the dinner to unpack everything from the Speedway, shower, pack my luggage for New York, change, and get ready for the banquet," he stated. "We went directly to the banquet, did the banquet, went straight to the airport, and then hopped on a plane to New York."

"I arrived in New York City at 2:00 a.m. and booked into my hotel at 3:00 a.m. It was a whole day in New York when I woke up at 7 a.m."

On Wall Street, Ericsson and other IndyCar executives launched trading at NASDAQ.

"I had no idea what to anticipate at NASDAQ," he continued, "but it was fantastic." "After that, we tackled the Empire State Building."

"It was an amazing day." Sunday was the most wonderful day of my life, but my stay in New York was coming to an end.

The New York Yankees are well-known even in Sweden. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Ericsson to walk out to the pitcher's mound at Yankee Stadium and be greeted by Yankee fans after winning the Indianapolis 500.

Ericsson stated, "It's such a legendary squad." "I'm not familiar with baseball, but it's a legendary team."

"It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but I understand how difficult this event is to win," he remarked. "I knew we had a decent chance this year. We were competitive and fast from the first day at the Speedway.

"It's difficult to express. You reflect on how much effort you put into this. 

"It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and it's still very emotional for me." I've got a lot of snapshots in my head, and it makes me happy.

"It would be incredible to win the last-ever race at Belle Isle to cap off this week."

Ericsson finished sixth in the points standings in 2021 after winning in Detroit and Nashville.

After starting 15th, he won the first game in a weekend doubleheader at Belle Isle. The team executed its pit stop strategy flawlessly to close the gap on race leader Will Power in the final stages. Power was in command until Grosjean wrecked in Turn 9 with five circuits.

The race was red-flagged by IndyCar, and the cars were towed to pit road and turned off. When it was time to resume, all except Power's engines refired since the ECU sensor had "roasted" due to the machine's heat.

Power's car eventually restarted the race, but Ericsson went on to win for the first time in his career by taking the lead for the final four laps. After falling airborne on Lap 5, Ericsson rebounded to win again two months later on the streets of Nashville.