On Sunday in the wine country of California, a champion was crowned in the Verizon IndyCar Series. The battle waged on for 85 grueling laps, and the championship would be settled on a tiebreaker for the third time in series history. And much like the tiebreaker, history repeated itself once more with Scott Dixon being crowned the 2015 IndyCar champion.
Dixon, now crowned a four-time IndyCar champion, has rightfully earned his spot as the top driver to ever compete for Chip Ganasssi Racing, and potentially as the IndyCar driver of his generation. After starting out in the IRL in 2003, after two years in the former Champ Car Series for PacWest and Ganassi. Immediately upon arriving on the scene on the ovals, he won his first championship. Followed up with titles in 2008 and 2013, including a 2008 win at the Indianapolis 500, Dixon now sits fifth on the all-time list of race winners in the series.
From his early days in racing, Dixon appeared set for greatness. In 1999, upon his move from New Zealand to the United States, his broke the track record in a test at Sebring on his eighth lap. While DNFs would beleaguer his first season of Indy Lights, he would bounce back the next season to six wins and a strong championship run. The winning pedigree always seemed to run through his veins.
Arriving back at the 2015 IndyCar season, Dixon entered the season as one of the perennial title contenders, alongside names such as Hunter-Reay, Kanaan, Power, and Montoya. The last of those names, though, in Juan Pablo Montoya would steal the show for most of the season, leading nearly flag to flag in the points standings. Wins at St. Petersburg and the Indy 500 would cement Montoya atop the leaderboard, but trouble for him at Iowa would open back up the race for the title.
That’s when Dixon would arrive on the scene. Having accumulated two wins earlier in the season at Long Beach and Texas, he would be returning to a track where he and his Ganassi team had felt at home for quite some time – Sonoma Raceway. Almost entirely unchallenged once he emerged at the front of the pack, Dixon did all he could to maximize his points day in the final race. And, with a little bit of luck thanks to Montoya’s misfortune, he would translate that into a 47-point swing to win the championship.
Only time will tell how much longer the legacy of Scott Dixon in open wheel racing becomes, but there is certainly no denying he has led a hall of fame worthy drive thus far. Congratulations go out to Scott Dixon and Chip Ganassi Racing, the 2015 IndyCar champions.
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