There are some things you can always count on every season in IndyCar. One of those is that Dixon will be a title contender. More often than not, he will be one of the drivers to beat each and every weekend. This will be the 17th time in the last 20 years that Dixon will have finished inside the top-four in the championship.
Winning the title this year would tie him with the legendary AJ Foyt for the most all-time. It would also ease his mind after making the biggest mistake of his racing career back in May.
Dixon scored his fifth Indianapolis 500 pole in record-breaking fashion. His 234.046 mph average speed over four laps is the fastest pole speed in the history of the event, and the second-fastest ever, trailing only Arie Luyendyk’s 236.986 average in 1996.
“That’s what this place is about, the ups and downs that you have just in one day,” Dixon said. Little did he know how true those words would become.
After leading 95 laps on race day, Dixon hit pit lane for what would be his final pit stop. No one could catch him, much less find their way around him. He had the race in the palm of his hand, when it happened.
Dixon was nailed for speeding on pit lane, and the Borg Warner Trophy evaporated right in front of him. Losing the biggest race in the world because of a speeding penalty is bad enough, but considering that the race awards double-points, it is the ultimate gut punch for he and the No. 9 Ganassi team.
The mistake ultimately cost Dixon 75 points in the championship. “I think had we finished even in the top-three, this championship would be pretty easy right now,” Dixon said. “But I can’t change that. It’s history. It’s long gone. And you’ve got to move forward.” That is much easier said than done.
A second Indy 500 victory and a seventh championship have slipped through his fingers, all because he was 0.6 mph over the speed limit.
Coming into the weekend, Dixon was 20 points behind Will Power in the championship standings, tied with Josef Newgarden. Going into today’s race, he is now 21 points out of the lead after Power earned a bonus point for qualifying on pole. When Newgarden brought out a red flag during qualifying, drivers had just one shot at getting in a good lap.
Dixon got stuck behind rookie Kyle Kirkwood on his out lap, and couldn’t maximize his lap. He was knocked out of the first round of qualifying by Simon Pagenaud – the final car on track. It was a crushing blow to The Iceman, as he starts 13th today.
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