Scott Dixon says his imminent sixth IndyCar Series championship would mean the most to him as each title becomes more significant.
The Chip Ganassi Racing star holds a commanding lead in the points race with three rounds to play out.
The Kiwi’s 72-point margin over Josef Newgarden is the third-largest buffer with three races remaining in IndyCar history. Only eight drivers since 2000 have managed to overturn a deficit in the final three rounds with the biggest being just 48 points.
It places Dixon in the prime position to become only the second driver in history after the legendary A.J. Foyt to win six career crowns.
This weekend sees the IndyCar field return to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course for the second time in 2020. It staged the second round of the season back in June and was the venue of Dixon’s second win in a hat-trick of victories to open the year.
And when asked ahead of the event where he would rank the 2020 championship should he win, Dixon said this one would be the most significant to him.
“I think it would probably be the strangest,” Dixon told Autosport. “Just from how the season’s gone, the schedule change, the ups and downs. Honestly, I’m so thankful that the NTT IndyCar Series and everybody involved was able to get the ball rolling.
“A huge thanks to NASCAR for paving the way, letting us kind of use their handbook a little bit with the COVID situation, get back to it.
“All of the [championships he has won] are unique. They’re all very different, at least from my memory.
“But I think each one becomes that much more meaningful. This one for me would definitely mean the most.”
The most recent round from Mid-Ohio was a tumultuous affair for Dixon after he spun out from race-winning contention and gifted Newgarden a healthy portion of points.
The Kiwi was disappointed but said he would tackle the remaining rounds without the championship goal in mind, and today he reaffirmed those intentions.
“The ultimate goal is to leave this weekend without having to worry about the championship,” he said. “The reality is that it’s still going to be very tough. We don’t change our approach each weekend.
“I think when you come down to the nitty-gritty of the championship, you are aware of the points and the outcomes a little bit more than you would be, say, at the start or middle part of the season.
“We’ll focus on doing what we always try to do, and that’s win the race. I think if we can win Race 1 or Race 2, that makes things a lot easier.
“If we can win the both of them, that seals the deal. We’ll go in there with that mindset and see what we come out with.”