Late penalty turns Indianapolis hopes upside down for pole sitter.
Scott Dixon has a lot in common with another racing great, Mario Andretti. They’re both multi-champions, they’ve both earned 50 or more wins in their respective careers and they’re among the most beloved drivers in IndyCar history.
But after Sunday’s 106th Running of the Indianapolis 500, I’m convinced Dixon now has another thing in common with Andretti.
The Curse.
Scott Dixon was all smiles after winning the pole for the 106th Indianapolis 500.
Icon SportswireGetty Images
Andretti won the 1969 Indianapolis 500 and with the incredible amount of talent he possessed in his prime, should have won the Greatest Spectacle In Racing several more times.
But it never happened. Andretti won the 500 just that one time. Much like Dale Earnhardt won the Daytona 500 just once in his career, Andretti and Earnhardt were both known not only for their solo wins in their sport’s respective biggest races, but also for all the close calls, shortcomings or sheer mistakes that prevented them from winning the biggest race in their racing genre more than just once.
The Curse even extended to Andretti’s son, Michael, who never won the 500 even once (although he’s won several as a team owner).
If anyone ever creates a racer’s dictionary, next to the word “perfection” should be a photo of Dixon.
The man they call “The Iceman” is as close to perfect of what an IndyCar driver should be, someone who has a cool and collected manner in the most pressure-filled situations.
He’s won six IndyCar championships in his two-decade career in the series, just one title shy of tying the legendary A.J. Foyt for most U.S. open-wheel crowns.
But like Mario, something has happened the last few years that has brought about somewhat of a thawing in the Iceman’s demeanor.
“I just messed up” says a dejected @scottdixon9.
The all-time #Indy500 lap leader discusses his late pit road speeding penalty.#INDYCAR // @IMS pic.twitter.com/3hcwqAIPuv— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) May 29, 2022
The previous two editions of the Indy 500 in 2020 and 2021, Dixon was considered the favorite and looked like he would fulfill that prophecy both times, only to fall frustratingly short, finishing runner-up in 2020 without fans in the stands due to the Covid-19 pandemic and 17th in 2021.
Certainly, the third straight year—with a full house of 300,000 fans—would finally be the charm to shake his run of recent bad luck, right?
Dixon started Sunday’s Indy 500 from the pole, dominated by leading a race-high 95 laps and looked like he would be unbeatable all the way to the checkered flag.
Unfortunately, Dixon proved to be beatable—and the person who wound up beating him was a most uncharacteristic villain: Dixon himself.
Just 23 laps from the finish, when Dixon would have claimed his second Indy 500 win, he made the kind of error that guys named Scott Dixon just don’t do. Rookies, yes. Veterans like Dixon, no.
Yet the evidence was incontrovertible. Dixon indeed was nailed for speeding on pit road. He was issued a drive-through penalty that took him from near the front of the pack to 26th position and one lap down.
And there went Dixon’s chance for a second career Indy 500 win, ultimately finishing a disappointing 21st.
For the third straight year—and probably more if you add in other editions of the 500 where he also came close but fell short since he won his first and only 500 to date in 2008—Dixon made a mistake guys of his caliber aren’t supposed to do.
Just 33 laps earlier, there was so much excitement and even a large round of applause and cheers from the nearly 300,000 fans in attendance when Dixon became the all-time leading lap leader of the Indy 500, passing the late Al Unser’s old mark of 644 laps led.
But that would prove to be all for naught as Dixon would once again—for whatever reason —be denied another visit to victory lane in Indianapolis.
“It’s just heartbreaking to be honest,” Dixon told NBC. “I must have been very close. I just came into the pit and locked the rears (brakes) and kind of locked all four and I knew it was going to be close. I think it was a mile an hour over.
“Just frustrating, The car was really good all day. We had really good speed. The team did an amazing job on strategy. I just messed up.”
Surprisingly, team owner Chip Ganassi didn’t want to say much about Dixon’s infraction, saying only, “He came down pit lane and was speeding. He’s as disappointed as anyone.”
Tony Kanaan, also a one-time only winner of the 500, can understand Dixon’s frustration.
“I feel extremely bad for him,” Kanaan said of Dixon. “I know how bad he’s feeling. That’s the kind of thing that will haunt you quite a bit for a little bit.
“It’s one thing when something out of your control happens, but when we as drivers make a mistake, it’s pretty hard.”
A bad pit stop proved to be Dixon’s undoing at Indy.
Chris GraythenGetty Images
Mario spent the majority of his career answering endless questions about the reasons why he never won the 500 more than once. He also was asked about the mistakes he made or how he was victimized by other drivers, just like Dixon has had to endure the last three years in a row and even more in his overall career.
If anyone knows what Dixon is going through, it’s the elder Andretti. And if anyone knows what Andretti went through, Dixon knows it probably better than anyone else.
Curses are like that. The faces of the victims may change, but the tough luck, frustration, angst and agony never seem to.
In fact, Sunday’s Indy 500 winner, Marcus Ericsson may one day be the next victim of The Curse—in other words, one win and done. So hopefully Ericsson will enjoy his lone triumph in the Greatest Spectacle In Racing as much as possible because he may never pass this way again just like Andretti and Dixon.
Keyword: How Scott Dixon Let Indy 500 Win Slip Through His Fingers: 'I Just Messed Up'