Ericsson Ends Drought, Larson’s Jet-Lagged Triumph & D.C. Prepares For IndyCar!
August 17, 2026
AI Summary
5 min readMarcus Ericsson ended a 63-race winless drought with a dominant charge through the field at IndyCar’s new street circuit in Markham, Ontario, while Kyle Larson pulled off a jet-lagged sprint car victory at the Knoxville Nationals after racing at Richmond the same night. The episode covers a packed racing weekend across multiple series, headlined by IndyCar’s debut at a challenging new venue, NASCAR’s playoff picture sharpening, and championship finales in Formula E and the World of Outlaws.
IndyCar: Ericsson’s Breakthrough and a Track Built Overnight
Marcus Ericsson’s victory at the brand-new street circuit in Markham was his first since winning the 2022 Indianapolis 500. He started mid-pack but pulled away to win by 7.5 seconds, running qualifying laps while others raced. “It was a ridiculous, ridiculous drive,” Buxton said, adding that Ericsson’s performance ranked among his finest in IndyCar, including his 500 win. The win came a week after Ericsson signed a new contract with Andretti Global, and Buxton noted that the weight off his shoulders may have fueled the performance. Ericsson has led the third-most laps in IndyCar this season but hadn’t converted that pace into a win until now.
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What you'll learn
- 1 (01:31) **Welcome & NYC Setup** - Will Buxton is broadcasting from New York City on a promotional tour for the upcoming Washington D.C. IndyCar race, setting up the episode's focus on new street circuits.
- 2 (02:05) **Marcus Ericsson's Drought-Busting Win in Markham** - Ericsson snaps a 63-race winless streak with a dominant drive from the field, winning by 7.5 seconds and executing a bold strategy that initially looked wrong.
- 3 (05:11) **Markham Track Construction Failures** - The hosts detail significant safety and organizational failures that delayed track certification, turning a weekend of promise into a PR nightmare before the racing began.
- 4 (07:03) **Alex Palou Extends Championship Lead** - Despite being beatable and finishing off the podium, Palou extends his championship lead to 133 points as his rivals all falter, showcasing his relentless consistency.
- 5 (09:00) **Will Power's Charge & D.C. Race Preview** - The hosts highlight Will Power’s drive from 25th to the podium before pivoting to preview the upcoming Freedom 250 in Washington D.C., a massive event celebrating America's 250th birthday.
- 6 (13:30) **Who Will Be the D.C. Surprise?** - The hosts speculate on which driver might unexpectedly mesh with the brand-new D.C. street circuit, drawing parallels to Louis Foster's surprise pole in Markham.
- 7 (17:35) **Joey Logano Wins at Richmond** - Logano wins the Cookout 400, snapping a winless streak and reigniting his championship threat with a late-race pass on fresh tires, a classic Penske late-season surge.
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Guests on this episode
Show Notes
In this episode of SPEED with Harvick and Buxton, fueled by POET, Will Buxton and Kevin Harvick dive headfirst into a action-packed week from across the global motorsports spectrum. The duo kicks things off in INDYCAR, where Marcus Ericsson snapped a 63-race drought with a late-race charge to win the inaugural Ontario Honda Dealers Indy at Markham, while Alex Palou continued to build a crushing points lead despite the street circuit chaos.
Over in NASCAR, Joey Logano held off a late-charge from Chase Briscoe at Richmond to secure his second Cup victory of the season, while Kaden Honeycutt turned exciting personal news into on-track dominance with a wire-to-wire beatdown in the Craftsman Truck Series.
The show takes a deep dive into international racing news, covering Marcin Budkowski taking the reins as Cadillac’s new Formula 1 Team Principal during the summer shutdown, Carlos Sainz's impending contract extension with Williams, and Pascal Wehrlein securing his second Formula E World Championship in a dramatic London E-Prix finale.
Will and Kevin also celebrate one of the most incredible double-duty feats of the year as Kyle Larson placed sixth in Richmond, hopped on a jet to Iowa, and survived a three-hour rain delay to lead all 50 laps and capture his fourth Knoxville Nationals title.
Rounding out the episode, they highlight news from around the racing world, including Kurt Busch edging out Jimmie Johnson by a mere 0.002 seconds at Laguna Seca, JCB shattering the world land speed record at Bonneville, and the Harvick family's eventful weekend at CARS Tour West.
Finally, Will and Kevin answer listener voicemails about childhood racing numbers and SPEED nostalgia, debate their Driver of the Week picks before revealing the fan vote, and set the stage for upcoming action at the Dutch Grand Prix, New Hampshire, and INDYCAR’s historic trip to Washington, D.C.
Chapters:
0:00 Intro
1:00 INDYCAR: Marcus Ericsson Wins At Ontario
9:45 INDYCAR: Washington, D.C. Preview
15:50 Road To 2027 INDY NXT Kicks Off Sept. 21
16:32 NASCAR Cup Series: Joey Logans Wins At Richmond
24:27 F1: Sainz Expected To Announce Contract Extension With Williams
25:06 F1: Cadillac Announces Graeme Lowdon Replacement
28:08 Formula E: Taylor Barnard Youngest Winner At London E-Prix
28:34 Formula E: Pascal Wehrlein Wins Formula E Drivers’ World Championship
29:42 Larson Wins 65th Annual Knoxville Nationals
35:07 NASCAR Truck Series: Kaden Honeycutt Wins At Richmond
36:14 NASCAR: Noah Gragson Will Return For Front Row Motorsports
38:36 Social Speedway
41:02 Voicemail Questions
45:46 Around The Racing World
51:32 Driver of the Week
54:59 Final Lap: Weekend Racing Schedule
56:42 Outro
57:36 Wrecks of the Week
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