Dixon driving own destiny: ‘We have good shot’
Six-time IndyCar champion Scott Dixon is in Portland this weekend, needing a good result to keep his challenge for a seventh title alive.
Will Power is clinging to the series lead with American Josef Newgarden snapping at his heels and Dixon hovering menacingly in third, 14 points behind Australian Power.
With two races to go, and 54 points up for grabs for the winner at each race weekend, Marcus Ericsson, Alex Palou, or even at a mathematical push another Kiwi in Scott McLaughlin, can’t be ruled out.
“We’re right there and even if we win at Portland and the other three finish well, we’ll be heading to the last race at Monterey pretty much even on points,” an excited Dixon told the Weekend Herald from Portland.
“I think the championship has come down to the last one or two races every season I’ve been in it and I’ve been the hunt all but two or three times, I think.
“I don’t know what it is, but it’s always Ganassi and Penske going down to the wire. Andretti and McLaren should be there, but for some reason in the past couple of years they’ve struggled to get it right consistently,” said Dixon.
“It has been a weird year. Normally someone romps away at some part of the season and others catch up but it just hasn’t happened this year.”
“An average night” by Dixon’s standards last weekend meant he slipped from second on the points table to third, 14 points behind series leader Power with Newgarden nestled between the two.
Being caught out by mid-race cautions and an off night strategywise left Dixon with an uphill battle to remain in touch with the leaders and he finished the race in eighth.
“We got a bit lost and got behind with our strategy, which changed the race quite a bit really,” he said.
Once we ended up in the track position we did, it was hard to get back to the guys at the front. Any undercut we tried ended up with being blocked in around lapped traffic, which was pretty frustrating.
“We managed to salvage something though, we’re only 14 points out of the championship and with two races to go we’re still in it.”
The Portland International Raceway track has been good to Dixon in the past and he’s looking forward to putting the struggles of last weekend behind him.
In the 19 years Dixon has been racing in the IndyCar series, he has missed a top-five finish in the championship only three times, an incredible record.
With a track record like that, everyone else in the title chase will be looking to what the 42-year-old will do this weekend.
Most drivers in the series acknowledge Dixon is the master and the phrase “you have to go through Dixon to win a championship” is often heard in the race paddock.
“It should be good this weekend,” said Dixon.
“It’s typically a strong track for us but the drawback is you only get an hour and a half ’s practice.
“Hopefully the car will be decent from the start so we should make a good go of it.
“Even last year strategy was pretty important and it will be this weekend. Portland is a bit weird like that. You have to be good with strategy probably more than anything else. There are normally a few crashes, especially into the first corner, and for some reason a lot of cautions.
“The car should be pretty good here. It’s pretty tight at the moment and it’s pretty unlikely that three or four people at the front are going to mess up.
“We have a good shot.”