Scott Ronald Dixon (born 22 July 1980) is a New Zealand racing driver who races the 9 Chip Ganassi Racing (CGR) Dallara DW12-Honda car in the IndyCar Series. He is a six-time drivers' champion of the IndyCar Series, having claimed the title in 2003, 2008, 2013, 2015, 2018 and 2020 and he won the 2008 Indianapolis 500 with CGR. Dixon has three 24 Hours of Daytona victories, with CGR in 2006 and 2015 and in 2020 with Wayne Taylor Racing. He is widely known as one of the greatest IndyCar drivers of all time.
He began karting at age seven and won 30 major karting titles in his age group across Australia and New Zealand. Aged 13, Dixon progressed to car racing, winning the 1994 New Zealand Formula Vee Championship, the 1996 New Zealand Formula Ford Class II Championship, the 1998 Australian Drivers' Championship and the 2000 Indy Lights. He debuted in Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) in 2001 with the PacWest Racing team and won his first major open-wheel race in his third series start before joining CGR in 2002 when PacWest folded due to financial difficulties. Dixon and CGR moved to the IndyCar Series in 2003, winning the title in his debut season with three victories. Following a winless 2004 season, he won one race in the 2005, finished fourth in the 2006 with two victories, and finished second to Dario Franchitti in 2007 with four wins. Dixon won his second IndyCar championship in 2008, with five victories (including the Indianapolis 500).
He finished second to teammate Franchitti in the 2009 season, breaking Sam Hornish Jr.'s all-time series wins record, and third in each season from 2010 to 2012. Dixon won his third series championship with four victories in 2013, and finished third overall with two victories the following season. In 2015, he won his fourth IndyCar championship, tying Juan Pablo Montoya on points but being declared series champion due to a count-back on the number of victories taken by both drivers. During the 2016 and 2017 season, Dixon's form lowered but he took three wins to finish sixth and third overall, respectively. His three victories during the 2018 season earned him his fifth series championship, and he went on to win his sixth title two years later with four victories. After finishing fourth overall with one victory in 2021, Dixon improved on his performance with two wins for third in the points standings in 2022.
Overall he has won 56 races in American open-wheel car racing and finished on the podium 138 times. Since 2004, Dixon has also competed in endurance racing in the American Le Mans Series, the Rolex Sports Car Series, the IMSA SportsCar Championship and the 24 Hours of Le Mans as well the International Race of Champions and V8 Supercars. He was named New Zealand's Sportsman of the Year in both 2008 and 2013. Dixon was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2009 and a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (CNZM) a decade later.
Early and personal life
Dixon was born in Brisbane, Australia on 22 July 1980, the youngest child and only son of middle-class New Zealand expatriates Ron and Glenys Dixon. He has two older sisters. Although he was born in Australia, Dixon holds New Zealand citizenship. Dixon's parents raced various types of cars on various circuits, and owned a dirt speedway in Townsville, North Queensland. The family moved to Australia in 1976 in search of better opportunities, settling in Townsville before returning to Auckland, New Zealand a decade later after a major accident involving his father. Dixon attended Manurewa Central Primary, Green Meadows Intermediate and James Cook High School. He married former British and Welsh 800 metres champion and television presenter Emma Davies-Dixon in February 2008. They have three children.
Early racing career
Aged seven, Dixon began racing go-karts after watching his cousins race at Auckland's Mt. Wellington oval kart track and tried karting following the conclusion of a raceday. He was encouraged by his parents to pursue a racing career, and was first put into a midget car with a Ironhorse engine at age eight. Dixon was influenced by the success of New Zealand drivers Chris Amon, Denny Hulme and Bruce McLaren. Over the next six years, Dixon parents purchased additional equipment depending on circumstances and Dixon's increase in achievements. His father worked long hours importing Omega karts and cars from Japan, to finance his son's endeavours and borrowed so much money he did not inform his wife about all of it. During the following five years, Dixon won 30 major Australian and New Zealand-based karting championships in his age group, including the 1992 New Zealand Junior Restricted Championship.