Testing has begun for the upcoming IndyCar Series season, with Scott Dixon topping one of the first on-track hit-outs of the year some three months out from the opening round of the season.
Dixon took part in a test day at Sebring International Raceway today, alongside his full Chip Ganassi Racing squad (Marcus Ericsson, Alex Palau, Jimmie Johnson), as well as Chevrolet runners Sebastien Bourdais, Max Chilton, and Dalton Kellet.
Dixon clocked a quickest time of 52.320 seconds, edging teammates Ericsson and Palau by 0.097 and 0.135, respectively. Bourdais, Chilton, Kellet, and Johnson rounded out the order of times at the end of the day.
Each driver laid down over 100 laps, with Johnson predictably performing the most laps of all (160). At the end of the day the NASCAR legend, who makes his debut in the series this year after winning seven titles in NASCAR, was 1.3-seconds off Dixon’s best time.
Another seven drivers — Takuma Sato, Graham Rahal, Jack Harvey, Alexander Rossi, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Marco Andretti, and Colton Herta — will test at the Sebring venue tomorrow. Andretti recently announced that he would not be taking part in the full season; instead only participating in selected events.
The 2021 IndyCar Series is set to kick off on April 11 with the Honda Indy Grand Prix at Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama.