Yes, Alex Palou made a mistake.
But Scott Dixon shouldn’t care.
Winner Scott Dixon chats with Alex Palou during the NTT IndyCar Series Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio
He was in position to win the race Sunday at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course with his two-stop strategy if Palou made a mistake and was able to capitalize.
For a driver to earn his 59th career victory and to now have won in 23 different seasons, including 21 consecutive times, that is a big deal. Mistake or not by his Chip Ganassi Racing teammate.
“I had big dreams to be racing, but to be in this scenario, to be with this team, to get to work with the people I get to work with on a daily basis is unbelievable,” said Dixon, who has driven for Ganassi since 2002 and has won six series titles. “I don’t know what this is — 24 years or 23 years with the same team, is pretty sweet.
“I pinch myself every day.”
Scott Dixon celebrates in victory lane with team owner Chip Ganassi during the NTT IndyCar Series Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio
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Dixon knows this season has not gone the way he has wanted. He had watched teammate Palou win six of the first nine races, the first of which Dixon felt he should have won, had he not had radio issues and had known which lap would be the most optimal to pit.
“It was nice to have that flip on Alex after what happened on St. Pete this year,” said Dixon with a smile, not in a mean way but knowing that he gave one away and now got one back.
Teammates are still competitors and Dixon was glad that Palou made a mistake. It wasn’t like Dixon had forced Palou to go off track in Turn 9 with five laps remaining. It was just a mistake that drivers occasionally make.
“I didn’t know if it was him, and then obviously I see it’s a black car. He’s had multiple colors this year, so it’s always hard to figure out. And I saw that he was kind of struggling to get going,” Dixon said.
“I hate to say it, but I was pleasantly surprised when I saw that he was rejoining the track.”
POST-RACE INTERVIEWS: Scott Dixon, Alex Palou & more after Honda Indy 200
Even with the win, Dixon sits fourth in the standings, 148 points behind Palou. So it’s not like Dixon is thinking about using this victory as a stepping stone to another championship. It was his first podium since the season opener in St. Petersburg. It was just his fourth top-five finish.
“It’s not always going to be your day,” Dixon said. “It’s not always going to be your year. I’ve seen plenty of those where it just doesn’t work out.
“We’ve been frustrated. It’s been tough. … We’ve just got to do a better job, we’ve got to work harder, and hopefully, we can keep working on that door, and it opens like it did today.”
That is what made the victory so fulfilling for Dixon and his Ganassi team. Frankly, the door has been harder for them to open. Dixon has won several races, thanks to saving fuel, and this was his first victory with the new hybrid system, where it is hard to take advantage of that skill.
Meanwhile, Palou has made the strategy work all year by managing tires and having the most optimal set for the final stint. He has been so smooth and so flawless — until Sunday.
“Nothing in particular happened. Just lost it a little bit, then kind of got into the marbles and went out [of the groove off-course],” Palou said. “It was a big, big mistake by my part.”
If Palou makes more mistakes, he can expect Dixon and others to pounce. Dixon was finally in position after starting ninth. It was not a great starting spot but it was better than where he has started for much of the season.
That gave him the ability to do his thing on the two-stop strategy.
“Each race I go to, I’m there to win,” Dixon said. “This year has been super frustrating for us, for all of us on my car. Anytime we could have something roll our way, it just hasn’t.
“We’ve had a load of mechanicals. It’s been extremely frustrating. Indy, I think, was one of the best 500 cars I’ve had and it was over before it even started [with a brake fire]. This is big for team morale and for everybody involved.
“We know we can win. Just hopefully we can get on a roll here.”
Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and INDYCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass.
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