3 IndyCar drivers who shared compelling reasons why fans should root for them 

With six days to go until the green flag for IndyCar's first race of the season, this year marks the 109th running of the series. The first-ever IndyCar race took place on June 12, 1909, in Portland, Oregon.

This year, the first race of this season is scheduled at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on March 2. The race will consist of 100 laps, covering a total distance of 180 miles. Alex Palou will defend his IndyCar championship against several other strong contenders, while Josef Newgarden will defend his Indy 500 title, aiming to make it three consecutive titles.

IndyCar's X handle posted a one-minute video where the drivers shared why the fans should root for them. Josef Newgarden, Colton Herta, Alex Palou, Graham Rahal, Marcus Ericsson, Jacob Abel, Robert Shwartzman, and Kyle Kirkwood answered why fans should root for them.

Some of the drivers responded seriously while others had witty responses.

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1. Marcus Ericsson

One such quick-witted response was by Marcus Ericsson. He said:

"cause I'm the Swedish...I don't want to say Ice Man but I'm a hard worker from Sweden ! Just a normal guy from Sweden coming over to America and living my dream."

106th Running Of The Indianapolis 500 - Source: Getty

Ericsson drives for Andretti Global and this campaign marks his 7th IndyCar season. He won the 2022 Indy 500 title with Chip Ganassi Racing driving the number 8 entry and has a total of 97 starts to date. He finished the 2024 season in 15th place with 297 points.

The Swede was also a Formula One driver from 2014 to 2018. Ericsson has gained popularity right from his Formula One days, and even though he is not as big a favorite in the IndyCar series as his rivals, he has a decent fan following.

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2. Colton Herta

On the other hand, Colton Herta had a slightly serious answer to the question. He stated:

"I'm extremely fast , I win races and you know I've got a great team behind me."

Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg - Source: Getty

Colton Herta came into the limelight in 2019 as he became the youngest driver in the IndyCar series to win at the Circuit of Americas at 18 years, 11 months, and 25 days. What made this an even bigger win was that Herta made his racing debut with Andretti Harding Steinbrenner Autosport only a year back, in 2018. As of now, Colton Herta has nine victories and 99 racing starts. He concluded the 2024 season with 513 points, finishing second in the standings, and securing a fair share of support from fans who will back him to go all the way this season.

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3. Robert Shwartzman

Robert Shwartzman during the 6th Race of the FIA WEC 2024 World Endurance Championship - Source: Getty

Another driver who responded to this question was Robert Schwartzman. He said:

"I want to believe that they like me and I'm funny. As an athlete I want to believe that I can deliver results where they can cheer for me I can make them happy."

Having come through the outfit's pipeline in Formula 2 and Formula 3, Robert Shwartzman will compete in the IndyCar series full-time for Prema Racing this season. Joining Robert Kubica and Yifei Ye for the FIA WEC Hypercar series, where they won at the Circuit of Americas in 2024, Shwartzman also served as a reserve driver for Ferrari. While Shwartzman has a fan following from his F2 and F3 days, IndyCar fans will be eager to see how he performs for Prema in the American open-wheel racing series.

All in all, with Prema Racing entering the grid and rookies taking on the experienced drivers, this season is sure to be a treat to fans.