By Luis Torres, Staff Writer/Photographer
The quest for that elusive second Indianapolis 500 still fuels six-time NTT IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon.
All talks focused on the Team Penske scandal, rookie Robert Shwartzman’s unforgettable pole run, and Kyle Larson’s second attempt at the Memorial Day Double.
The latter topic became one of the many focal points of Dixon’s media appearance Thursday as part of Media Day leading up to Sunday’s 109th Indianapolis 500 (Noon ET on FOX).
In recent years, rumors circulated about Dixon’s interest of competing in NASCAR someday down the line, including a Xfinity Series race.
Long story short, Dixon is among one of the popular names tossed around in the paddock as someone who should attempt “The Double.”
Although Dixon was taken aback from Fronstretch’s Dalton Hopkins’ question about hearing drivers mentioning him as a candidate they’d like to see do “The Double,” but any plans of doing it is simply not on the cards in the foreseeable future.
Talks been had between him and car owner Chip Ganassi, but there have been some factors as to why the 2008 Indy 500 champion hasn’t made a NASCAR appearance to this day.
“We kind of talked about it years ago with Chip. It just never really came to anything,” said Dixon. “I think it’s very difficult. I think it’s maybe manufacturer situation, teams. It’s not an easy thing to do.
“I really admire the people that do it. Obviously the success that we’ve seen with a lot of them has been huge. So yeah, it’s not in my near future.”
Immediately following his comments, the Kiwi racer told his Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Alex Palou and former CGR teammate Felix Rosenqvist about trying it.
Palou said to the microphone that he would love and would do “The Double.”
For now, Dixon’s main focus is winning his first Indy 500 in 17 years which would surpass Juan Pablo Montoya’s mark of 15 years should his No. 9 PNC Bank Honda cross the line in first. With the playing field stacked up from top to bottom, the 44-year-old acknowledged how wide open the competition is that could spell a challenge for he and the other 32 competitors Sunday.
“I think there’s a lot of great cars, great competitors, maybe more than we’ve seen,” said Dixon. “This year there’s a lot more.”
Be the first to comment