MotorSportsTalk continues its look through the Verizon IndyCar Series field driver-by-driver, following on the season finale at Sonoma Raceway.
Defending champion Scott Dixon had an “off year” in 2016 by his illustrious standards, finishing outside the top three in points for the first time since 2005.
Scott Dixon, No. 9 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet
- 2015: Champion, 3 Wins, 2 Poles, 4 Podiums, 7 Top-5, 12 Top-10, 306 Laps Led, 6.1 Avg. Start, 7.7 Avg. Finish
- 2016: 6th Place, 2 Wins, 2 Poles, 4 Podiums, 5 Top-5, 11 Top-10, 268 Laps Led, 6.2 Avg. Start, 9.8 Avg. Finish
The biggest breaking news of the 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series wasn’t the Boston cancellation, or the various track extensions, or the silly season rumors. It was that we have definitive proof that Scott Dixon is, in fact, human.
Dixon, the four-time and defending series champion, had a nightmarish year by his illustrious standards. He was sixth in points and won two races. And by the Dixon goal post, that is nowhere near enough to be considered a successful year. This marked the first time since 2005 the Kiwi finished outside the top three in points, and saw him in the rare position of being mathematically eliminated from the championship going into the final race of the year. Funny thing was, he didn’t drive any worse – he just had appalling luck.
Dixon’s year did have its high points. His crew delivered a perfect series of pit stops to secure his first win at Phoenix, and his weekend of domination at Watkins Glen was nothing short of spectacular. And then there was that Le Mans debut, in the Ford GT, promptly setting the fastest race lap. He hadn’t had a weekend like that in some time and that was worth cherishing after the litany of missed opportunities … that you can read below in the following paragraph.
Starting with Long Beach, there was the hard-luck second where he thought Simon Pagenaud should have been penalized for crossing the blend line onto the circuit. There was getting punted on the opening lap in Barber by his Ford GT teammate, Sebastien Bourdais. The anonymous Indianapolis 500, which featured the only highlight of how fast his crew, changed his engine before qualifying. Then a DNF in Detroit one, a suspension break in race two, the mechanical at Road America, the untimely yellow in Toronto, the the collision with Helio Castroneves at Mid-Ohio and the “double birds” issued to Ed Carpenter at Texas.
It was a year defined by frustration for the usually unflappable Dixon and the missed opportunities he endured through, as you see, roughly half the races, was enough to take him out of title contention. Yet the thing was, had it not been for Pagenaud’s control of the points lead all season, Dixon still well could have been in with a shout at sustaining his title.
He’s not won back-to-back titles of his four, which have been spread over 15 years (2003, 2008, 2013, 2015). Next year will mark a turning point for Dixon at Ganassi from a corporate standpoint; he’ll have his first new primary sponsor following Target’s departure. He’ll also have a new engine and aero kit package, with Honda back with Ganassi. But the target will be firmly placed on Pagenaud’s back as Dixon will look to rebound from a rare “off year.”
