Kiwi driver Dixon well placed for IndyCar title charge

New Zealand driver Scott Dixon is hoping a traditional late season surge can push him towards a fourth IndyCar title.

Dixon’s win in Texas last weekend has consolidated his thirdplacing on the driver’s standings and pushed him to within reach of pace-setting Juan Pablo Montoya.

Montoya and second-placed Will Power will be looking ner- vously in their rear-vision mirrors because this is the time that Dixon traditionally starts to make his charge.

Since 2010, 12 of Dixon’s 15 victories have come in the second half of the season. When he swept to his third title in 2013, he won four of the final nine races.

What’s worrying for his opponents is that, by his standards, Dixon has had a good start to the year with two wins already under his belt, taking his career total to 37 with Chip Ganassi racing.

He’s the form driver heading to Toronto this weekend and he has good history there – winning a double-header in 2013 to propel him to his title.

After that it’s a mix of oval, super speedway and road courses with Dixon having won at five of the seven venues in the past.

‘‘Right now it’s a good start for us, kind of mid-seasonish,’’ Dixon told IndyCar.com, downplaying talk that he’s the man to watch as the business end of the season comes over the horizon.

‘‘It’s still a long ways to go. A lot of competition out there.

‘‘This team has got a lot of resources.

‘‘You know you’re going to have a shot at winning each weekend you go to. But the competition, the Verizon IndyCar Series, is through the roof.

‘‘Especially now with four Penskes and four legitimate drivers that they’ve got in their stable, it’s pretty tough.’’