It has been announced this morning that New Zealander Scott Dixon is among the 2024 Induction Class for the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America.
The 2024 Induction Class will be formally ushered into the Hall of Fame in March 2024 at the Hall’s home in Daytona Beach.
The organisation announced future inductees at the 2023 Grand Prix of Long Beach, with Dixon joining a mighty list of some of North America’s finest talent.
“I’m extremely honoured to be thought of in this way and mentioned among many of the greats across so many forms of motorsports,” said Dixon.
“The first thing that comes to mind is how I was able to get here. A single person can never do it alone. I’m grateful to Chip, the team and everyone who has helped make this possible over the last 20 years, and then going back to the start of it all with my parents and the group that helped me along.
“But it comes down to racing for me and the pure love that I have for this sport across every different category. First and foremost, I am a racing fan, and that’s where the desire comes from. I’m extremely lucky to be able to do what I do, and I am grateful for everybody that has helped give me the possibility, and this is in their honour.”
He joins all-time winningest NHRA Top Fuel Funny Car crew chief Austin Coil, HANS Device inventors Jim Downing & Dr. Robert Hubbard (Technology), ), desert racing legend and Hollywood stuntman Bud Ekins (Motorcycles), four-time SCCA national champion and eight-time IndyCar title-winning owner Paul Newman (At Large), 1966 Can-Am champion and championship-winning constructor John Surtees (Sports Cars), and ), seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson (Stock Cars) in the Class of 2024.
Dixon has raced for Chip Ganassi Racing since 2002, with all but one of his 52 race victories coming for the outfit. He has also featured on the podium 130 times out of 331 races.
He’s won the IndyCar Series six times, first in 2003 and most recently in 2020. His accolades don’t stop there, the Kiwi having won the 24 at Daytona three times, Petit Le Mans once, and finished on the podium in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the GTE Pro class.
His Induction is well deserved, with Ganassi, who is also in the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America, agreeing.
“There is not a more deserving driver that’s currently in the series for the Hall of Fame, and I know there’s even more work still to be done,” he said.
The nine Class of 2024 honorees will be formally brought into the Hall in the 36th Annual Induction Ceremony, the traditional black-tie gala that is the crowning event of the two-day, multi-function MSHFA Induction Celebration.
The Induction Ceremony, which was sold out for the Class of 2023 celebration, will be preceded the night before by the traditional “Heroes of Horsepower” reception and strolling dinner at the MSHFA Museum on the grounds of Daytona International Speedway.
Additional Reporting: Supplied
