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Get To Know: Marcus Ericsson

It stands to figure Marcus Ericsson enjoys a cup of Huski Chocolate while he watches his cooking shows.

Sure, he’d have to get his sponsor to send him a few cases (the hot chocolate mix isn’t yet available in the U.S)., but the company painted alongside Ericsson’s car has something in common with the 31 year old, 5th year IndyCar driver, who just happens to be the defending winner of the Indy 500.

Both were born in Sweden.

Huski’s marketing campaign touts it as “born in the Arctic mountains of Sweden.”

For Ericsson, his birth place is described as a little more plain.

 Marcus Ericsson was born September 2, 1990 in Kumla, Sweden, a small, flat town of 21,000 in the Narke Plain. It’s a town noted for three things:  it’s history of shoemaking, and, most recently, a maximum security prison, and the invention of Bluetooth technology in the town’s biggest employer, Ericsson Industry.

Young Marcus began racing karts at a young age, and by the time he was 9, Marcus’s talent was discovered by Swedish Touring Car champion Fredrik Ekblom.

Ericsson’s name may be shared by the biggest company in Kumla, but if he was going to break into a racing career where he could leave his footprint, he knew it would not be from family money.

He stuck with karting, over the more expensive formula cars. After numerous karting titles in Sweden, Ericsson eventually caught they eye of fellow Swede and 1999 Indy 500 champion, Kenny Brack, who helped Marcus land a ride in Formula 3.

He won multiple races in various series throughout Japan and Europe, before landing a 2014 opportunity in Formula One.  He jumped to IndyCar in 2019.

He may not watch the muppets, but he presumably sees plenty of Swedish Chefs on his favorite cooking shows. He is also an avid viewer of the NHL, where he keeps tabs on Swedish hockey players.

Marcus Ericsson resides in Indianapolis.

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