Dixon on 52nd win: “It’s amazing to be close to Mario"

After starting on the front row and stalking polesitter Colton Herta through the first stint, Chip Ganassi Racing-Honda’s #9 crew pulled Dixon in one lap earlier than the Andretti team, and although Herta emerged still ahead, Dixon’s crew and a strong out-lap from the veteran meant he was in the right place on warm-tires to outbrake the Andretti Autosport driver into Turn 1. He would never fall behind Herta for the remainder of the race, and while he crossed the line only 0.8sec ahead, he had been holding the gap at two seconds before the final lap.

Dixon’s 52nd win not only draws him level with Mario Andretti – albeit 15 behind AJ Foyt – it also extends his run of IndyCar seasons with at least one win to 20, 18 of which have come consecutively (a record he already owned.)

"It's amazing to be close to Mario,” said the New Zealander who turns 42 next week, and who hadn’t won since May 1 last year. “I'm just so thankful that he and AJ [Foyt] are in the pits and we get to talk to them. It's huge, it feels so good to be a part of this group.”

Mario Andretti hit Twitter to say: “Utmost respect for my friend @scottdixon9 and truly happy to congratulate him on 52 wins. Also congratulate his team because nobody does it alone. I hope this is just a step on your continuing journey. Well done.”

Dixon told Peacock after the race, "We struggled a little bit on rears, we made some adjustments after this morning [warm-up] based on the different tracks we'd been to through the year where we'd fought with understeer, and that definitely wasn't the case today.

"It was a tough drive. Ended a streak there, which is just fantastic.

“It's been a funny year for the #9 and I still feel bad for what happened in the 500. Being back in Winners' Circle feels good, and massive thanks to Honda, because getting that fuel mileage today was so easy.”

With this win, Dixon now sits fifth in the points race, just 44 behind Marcus Ericsson who claimed fifth today. Asked about his recent comment regarding the need to get on a roll in order to claim the title and match Foyt for the IndyCar record of seven championships, Dixon said: "I'm hoping this is the start of the roll. The team has been working as hard as any.”

Dixon also gave a shout out to his usual race engineer Michael Cannon, who is at the Ganassi race shop in Indianapolis working on a secret project, and was substituted this weekend by the team’s technical director and Dixon’s former race engineer Chris Simmons.