Dixon the danger for Penske team boss

Tim Cindric didn’t say Scott Dixon was the favourite for the Indy Car title, but the president of rival outfit Team Penske may as well have.

A four-time champion in the hugely popular North American open-wheel series, Kiwi driver Dixon bids for a fifth championship in the season finale at Sonoma, California, today.

Part of the Chip Ganassi Racing stable since 2002, the south Auckland-raised racer trails standings leader Josef Newgarden by just three points going into the double-points event to decide who will lift the Astor Cup.

With the Newgarden in front of him and Helio Castroneves, Simon Pagenaud and Will Power behind him, Dixon is the lone driver of the five in contention for overall honours not from Chevrolet powered Team Penske.

While that may lead some to believe the New Zealander in the Honda-powered No 9 car was at a disadvantage, Cindric did not quite see it that way.

‘‘Yeah, if it wasn’t Scott Dixon, I would say that our odds are really good,’’ the Penske president said.

‘‘When you look at the fact that Scott has been there, done that, executed really more than all of our guys combined, I would have to do the math, but he’s been the guy to beat when it comes to championships.

‘‘He’s been solid everywhere. You don’t see him make any mistakes. He’s as solid as they come. ‘‘Essentially, when you look at a three-point advantage, the way the points structure is, you essentially say he and Josef are tied.’’

A quick glance at Dixon’s 17-year Indy Car career shows where Cindric is coming from.

The 37-year-old has 41 race wins in that time, placing him fourth on the all-time list, as well as 96 podiums and 26 pole-positions.

A fifth championship would put him second all-time, trailing only American legend AJ Foyt, who won seven.

It’s no surprise then, especially when you also consider his humble and affable demeanour, he is probably the most respected and admired current driver among his peers and along pit lane.

But, despite all he is achieved, situations like this do not get any less tense.

‘‘It’s how you want the championship, to come down to the wire, for the fans and everybody involved. It’s definitely exciting for us.

‘‘[But] I’d much prefer coming to the last race having already sewn up the championship or having a big points advantage.’’

Dixon, with just one win in 2017, believes he should have taken the chequered flag in at least two more events, while he also reflects on how strong he felt about his chances before his spectacular crash at the Indy 500.

Seven podiums, including two second-place finishes coming into Sonoma, have put the Kiwi star in a great position to make all those disappointments mean nothing.

A position he remains levelheaded about but is relishing given the accolades that await.

‘‘Five [titles] sounds great,’’ he said. ‘‘Sounds better than four.’’

"If it wasn't Scott Dixon, I would say that our odds are really good." Tim Cindric, Team Penske president