Five-time NTT IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon realized it would take something dramatic for him to win the 2019 title in the final race of the season. He entered Sunday’s Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey 85 points behind leader Josef Newgarden, and with 100 points available to the winner, his odds were smaller than slim.

Without an earthquake, a terrible flood or locusts, Dixon realized he wasn’t going to win a sixth championship last weekend. So, he did what racers do best: He raced to win.

For most of the day, that appeared to be a great strategy as Dixon was among the drivers trying to catch race leader Colton Herta out front. In the end, with Herta’s victory imminent, it was a great battle between Dixon and his old racing rival, Will Power of Team Penske.

Power went on to finish second and Dixon third, but Dixon’s performance in the No. 9 PNC Bank Honda was proof that Dixon still has the speed and racing skill to set the standard in INDYCAR.

Simply speaking, he’s still “The Man” on the track and in the paddock when it comes to racing.

At 39, Dixon can still show the young kids how to do it.

“Some of them, at least,” Dixon told NTT INDYCAR Mobile. “A couple, maybe not. Colton Herta was ahead of us, but Will is the same age, and I finished ahead of Newgarden and Rossi, so that’s always good.”

Dixon read the track conditions early and worked his racing skill to match the track.

“The high-line was really good today and in a lot of those corners, if you could get on the high side, it was a lot of fun to race the other guys,” Dixon said. “But the tire deg today was massive.

“I think a lot of people today had nothing to lose. It was good for them to push and get the most out of it.”

Dixon was one of just four drivers in Sunday’s field that had raced at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in the past. It was 2001 when he finished fourth and 2002 when he finished sixth.

Back then, he was just a 21-year-old kid. Now, as he nears 40, he has matured into one of the legends in the history of INDYCAR.

“There aren’t massive surprises,” Dixon said. “Once you get to this level, once you’ve been doing so many seasons of this, you know what to expect. With the digital media, you can look at races on various tracks.

“It’s a difficult track. It’s very technical. It’s quite slippery. There are a lot of high-risk areas too. It’s a good combination.”

Dixon came into the weekend willing to bet the whole amount as if it were his final night at a Las Vegas casino.

“We had nothing to lose, we had to go for it,” he said. “It would have been nicer to have been closer, or totally out of it, to be honest. Chip Ganassi always says if you are in endurance racing and you crash, unless it’s a meteorite falling out of the sky, it’s your fault.

“This year, we needed a meteorite to fall out of the sky to win the championship at this stage.”

Dixon rattled off the Indianapolis 500, getting hit from behind at Texas, a mistake he made in the first race at Detroit, getting spun out in Detroit, followed by mechanical issues at Portland doomed his chances for a sixth title.

“Sometimes it’s not your year,” Dixon said. “You have to just keep knocking on the door.”