IndyCar's greatest active driver is an underdog in D.C.
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Scott Dixon is looking for one more career highlight. Photo: Gavin Baker/Lumen via Getty Images
Scott Dixon has won most everything there is to win in America's open-wheel racing series — but there's never been a D.C. Grand Prix.
Why it matters: Already a Motorsports Hall of Famer and, as of last year, a knight, the New Zealander is looking for a new accolade in his No. 9 Honda.
- "Alongside the Indy 500, this is the one you're going to want to win," Dixon tells Axios.
State of play: The 46-year-old has the second most wins in IndyCar history, but he's still looking for his first victory of the season.
- Dixon has won at least one race for 21 straight seasons.
Zoom out: This is Sir Dixon's 25th — and final — season with the Chip Ganassi Racing team.
- He won six IndyCar championships with the team, plus the 2008 Indy 500.
- But he's hit a rough patch recently, finishing no better than 11th in his last several races.
"The Iceman" is no longer the face of his team.
- That would be Álex Palou, the 29-year-old Spaniard who has a huge lead atop the standings with four races left in the 18-event season.
😓 All 25 drivers in D.C. will face a marathon race on an unknown course through summer heat — and maybe rain.
- At 250 miles, it's the longest IndyCar street race since the '80s, Fox Sports reports.
- That could mean three hours of driving with temperatures in the 80s and D.C.'s famous humidity.
- "You lose about 5 pounds of water through sweat," Dixon tells Axios.
💪 IndyCar race cars don't have power steering. Drivers, who typically weigh around 150 pounds, have to battle G-forces as they muscle through turns.
- Think about a go-kart "times about 100," Dixon says.
Plus: D.C.'s slippery brick crosswalks and welded manhole covers could make for a bumpy ride.
Along with Dixon and Palou, fans should keep an eye on Kyle Kirkwood (No. 2 in the standings) and Marcus Ericsson.
- Those are the only drivers besides Palou to win on a street course this season.
👋 Arrow McLaren announced in July that Dixon would join its 2027 lineup, confirming reports that the veteran driver was leaving the only team he's known.
Nearing the end of his career, Dixon told Axios he didn't want to retire without seeing what it was like to drive for a different team.
- "I've spent more time with these people than I probably have with my own family," he said of team Ganassi.
Editor's note: This story has been corrected to reflect that the D.C. Grand Prix is the longest IndyCar street race since the '80s (not the longest IndyCar race).