Dixon ‘shocked’ seventh IndyCar title still in reach

KIWI motorsport icon Scott Dixon admits he’s ‘‘honestly shocked’’ that he remains in the running to defend his IndyCar title this year.

A six-time IndyCar champion, Dixon currently sits fourth in the standings with just two rounds to go.

The 41-year veteran has 428 points. Chip Ganassi team-mate Alex Palou sits in first with 477. Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward is in second with 452 and Team Penske’s Jose Newgarden third with 443.

‘‘This season’s been a bit rubbish,’’ Dixon tells Sunday News, reflecting on 2021. ‘‘Any kind of situation that could have rolled a good way has kind of gone the other way.

‘‘Indianapolis [race] was a massive letdown for us. We had great speed; the car was super fast. We were kind of cruising it, trying to save fuel, and that got us into the hole we were in. Once you run this thing out of fuel, you’re toast. That was a bit of a nightmare.’’

‘‘Detroit, too — we were leading that race and then the red flag really flipped the field and screwed us there in that race two.’’

With eight top-five finishes, including a victory in Texas in May, Dixon has been no slouch this year but says ‘‘there’s just been a lot of weirdness.

‘‘Pace has been a little crappy, especially at the Indy road course, which we’re trying to figure out,’’ he says. ‘‘It’s been a bit of a pain in the bottom.

‘‘Street and typical road courses have been pretty strong for the time, but honestly, I’m shocked we’re still in the title fight with the results that we have had. But on a positive note, it’s good to see our team with three cars in the top five.’’

‘‘It’s been a weird one and a bit rubbish, but we’re still in the fighting distance for a seventh championship.’’

Though he has been based in the United States for more than two decades, Dixon says he’s feeling the distance to home right now.

The two-time New Zealand Sportsman of the Year was last in Aotearoa in February 2020. He’d been in Australia, competing in the Bathurst 12-hour event with Aston Martin and squeezed in a flying visit to Auckland. ‘‘That was just three hours for lunch,’’ he says.

Though he and his family were initially hoping to get to New Zealand for Christmas, later next summer is now the thinking.

‘‘Even that could be tough as well, depending on what they decide to do, opening up,’’ he says.

‘‘One of the unfortunate parts is we had another baby [son Kit] during this period of time, and nobody’s met him.

‘‘We haven’t been able to take him back to New Zealand. We want to get that done as soon as possible before they miss the baby years.

‘‘They don’t make it easy, especially with the quarantine booking. I hear that’s going to change, but, still, trying to do two weeks with a 12-year-old, a 10-year-old, and a 2-year-old at that point wouldn’t be much fun, so we’ll see.’’