Marcus Ericsson’s Portland run powered by painted hands and a 7‑year‑old’s promise
· Yahoo Sports
INDIANAPOLIS — Marcus Ericsson will have extra pairs of hands to assist him during IndyCar’s Grand Prix of Portland on Sunday.
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The rear wing of Ericsson's car will feature handprints of patient ambassadors from Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital.
In February, Ericsson visited the patient ambassadors at Children’s, where they decorated hats for the Andretti driver to wear throughout the IndyCar season. He visited them once again in early July. This time, as a surprise at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Ericsson watched along and interacted with the kids as they dipped their hands in paint and plastered it on paper.
“Every weekend that I had these special hats, it's been special, and it gives me an extra couple of (tenths of a second of speed) having those kids with me in the car,” Ericsson said. “Now, having the handprints on the car for Portland is gonna be the same thing. It’s gonna give me an extra boost of power.”
Longstanding partners Delaware Life and Andretti Global brainstormed the idea of Ericsson doing community engagement with the patient ambassadors for the 2026 IndyCar season. Morgan Murphy, manager of community impact and engagement at Delaware Life, said Ericsson fit the initiative because of his “mentality of wanting to give back.”
When Ericsson moved to Indianapolis in 2018, he made it his mission to be involved in the community even in a “small way.” Ericsson credited the cousins he grew up with in Sweden for showing him how to pour into others.
“It’s important to have good role models in your life, especially when you’re growing up,” Ericsson said. “I try to be a role model for these kids. It’s something that makes me proud. Hopefully, I can inspire them in their lives.”
The thought of Portland captivated Chloe Creger. Whether she was taking pictures with Ericsson on the bricks or showing him her purple and green handprints in the IMS Gasoline Alley suite , the 7-year-old patient ambassador used every opportunity to remind Ericsson she’d be at the race.
“All she talked about was, ‘I’m going to Portland. I’m going to see you in Portland,’” Ericsson said. “She seems super excited about it. Another cool thing with this initiative is being able to bring Chloe out to that race.”
Creger was born with congenital kidney failure and spent the first seven months of her life at Children’s. “We've been repeat customers there quite a bit,” said Chloe’s dad, Cory Creger. Chloe received a kidney transplant in 2023 and is in “good health,” Cory said.
Chloe will attend the race in Portland with her kidney donor. The family wasn’t aware that Chloe’s donor was based in Portland until she started decorating Ericsson's hat in February. Cory said the experiences with Ericsson have uplifted Chloe.
“He's genuinely a good person — very sweet, takes time out of his busy schedule to hang out with the kids and actually get to know them,” Cory said.
During their brief time on the bricks, Chloe revealed her favorite type of milk is chocolate. Ericsson drank the prized bottle of traditional whole milk after he won the 2022 Indianapolis 500. He said he may change flavors if he wins again to “cheers with Chloe.”
Ericsson’s platform has a purpose. It’s to pour into others, including these kids — the source of his joy.
“To see these kids and how much it means to them, that makes it very special,” Ericsson said. “It's just cool to interact (with them) and see their smiles.”
As Ericsson prepared to leave the suite, he turned to Chloe and said goodbye in the form of a question.
“See ya in Portland?” Ericsson asks with a smile.
“See ya,” Chloe responds with a soft childlike tone.
Ericsson raises his hand for a high five. Chloe jumps up and slaps her tiny hands against Ericsson’s. His extra boost of power.
Joshua Heron is an enterprise and Fever reporter. Follow him @HeronReports on X. Zion Brown is IndyStar's motorsports reporter. Follow him at @z10nbr0wn. Get IndyStar's motor sports coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Motor Sports newsletter. Subscribe to the YouTube channel IndyStar TV: IndyCar for a behind-the-scenes look at IndyCar and expert analysis.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Marcus Ericsson’s Portland run powered by painted hands and a 7‑year‑old’s promise