Dixon extends Ganassi contract
Kiwi on brink of fifth IndyCars championship set to continue his 17-year association with leading team
After months of speculation, Kiwi IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon has signed a contract extension with his long-time team Chip Ganassi Racing.
The multi-year deal announced yesterday will see the 38-year-old in the cockpit of the No 9 PNC Bank Honda for the 2019 season and likely through until the end of his career.
The extension ends speculation the four-time champion would leave his team of 17 years to join Fernando Alonso on a new McLaren team.
Chip Ganassi spoke highly of Dixon following the announcement and said the New Zealander was possibly in the best form of his career.
“I’m very pleased to be sitting here announcing him for the future and I’m a happy man,” Ganassi said.
“Scott and I have been together a long time and he knows how to win. More importantly, he knows how to win championships.
“He’s not just a normal run of the mill driver . . . he’s the driver that if you were to take a stone and inject some brains into it, you’d chisel out Scott Dixon.
“Is he driving as well this season as he’s ever driven in his career? I would have to say yes . . . he has the same desire to win today than he did when he came to our team and that’s impressive.”
Dixon’s career started in 2000 with PacWest Racing but when the team struggled with funding in 2002, the Kiwi driver was picked up by Ganassi.
Dixon said although he respected the other teams he fielded offers from, he loved the people at Ganassi Racing and admired Ganassi’s desire to win.
“I definitely respect the teams and people that we spoke to over the last few months . . . but for me, it’s family, and being here this long,
there’s a reason that is, because it works so well,” Dixon said.
“I have always said I have a massive amount of respect for Chip and what he’s done in this sport. This is not an easy business.
“I just love being here, love the people, and admire Chip and his passion to win. It drives all of us.”
With four races remaining in the 2018 campaign, including the ABC Supply 500 at Pocono Raceway on Monday morning (NZT), Dixon holds a 46-point lead over Alexander Rossi as he guns for his fifth title.
Dixon’s latest win, at the Honda Indy Toronto, gave him 44 career victories to trail only AJ Foyt (67) and Mario Andretti (52) on the alltime list.