ELKHART LAKE, Wisconsin – If Scott Dixon wins the 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series, he’ll look back knowingly on Sunday’s KOHLER Grand Prix at Road America.
Consider it intelligent stalking. Dixon got himself into position for the 101st podium of his career with an impressive stint on Firestone primary black-sidewall tires, then chased Josef Newgarden and Ryan Hunter-Reay to the finish line for a third-place finish that padded Dixon’s lead in the drivers’ standings.
It was vintage Dixon, whose victory two weeks ago at Texas Motor Speedway put him alone in third place with 43 career victories in Indy car history, trailing only A.J. Foyt (67) and Mario Andretti (52).
Afterward, Dixon blamed the failure to make it into Saturday’s Firestone Fast Six qualifying session for his inability to challenge for the win. He started eighth Sunday in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Last year, he won at Road America after starting fifth.
“Had we started a little bit further up, I think we could’ve had a good shot at trying to fight for the win today,” Dixon said. “The car had good speed; we knew that. Qualifying was just really bad placement. … We should’ve started a lot further up.”
The first two stints of the race were critical for Dixon. On his first 15 laps, he managed to save enough fuel to go a lap farther than the leaders. Then, on primary tires during his second stint, Dixon solidified his third-place position behind eventual winner Newgarden and runner-up Hunter-Reay.
“The stint he did on black tires probably went unnoticed, but he made up all of that track position, and that gained us some spots on the next stop,” said Mike Hull, Dixon’s strategist and Chip Ganassi Racing’s managing director. “That was pretty extraordinary. He understands the capability of the car. We had a car that was capable of running up front, but we just started at the wrong end of the pasture today. We got up there, and Scott did his part.”
Indeed, Dixon’s eighth-place starting position was his worst qualifying performance in five races at Road America. But his ability to save fuel and race competitively on the harder-compound tires – along with some solid pit stops by the No. 9 crew – resulted in a podium finish and a 22-point gain in his lead. He’s now 45 ahead of both Hunter-Reay and Andretti Autosport teammate Alexander Rossi.
“(Pit stops) are a way to pick up spots very quickly,” Dixon said. “It’s a lot easier to pass in the pits than it is on the track. … They’re just extremely consistent. They’re not trying anything fancy. They’re just making sure they get through it. Over the course of the race, that adds up.”
But the not-so-secret advantage is Dixon himself. His race craft and overall understanding of races were on full display Sunday. It’s too soon to start talking about championships, with seven races remaining in the 2018 season. But it’s not too early to consider that, come September, Dixon could be earning his fifth Verizon IndyCar Series championship – which would be more Indy car titles than anyone in history except Foyt.
Dixon will know which race to credit if it turns out in his favor. So, too, will his team.
“What’s good about Scott is that it’s almost like he’s sitting there in the timing stand with us,” Hull said. “He sees the entire landscape when he drives the racetrack. He understands where he’s at and what’s important for him and what’s important for the team. He understands the big picture. When you have a big-picture driver in your car, you never want it to end.”
The next Verizon IndyCar Series race is the Iowa Corn 300 on the short oval at Iowa Speedway. The race airs live at 2 p.m. ET Sunday, July 8 on NBCSN and the Advance Auto Parts INDYCAR Radio Network.