Scott Dixon says the penalty for speeding in the pitlane that removed him from contention for victory in the Indianapolis 500 was “heartbreaking” and that he “just messed up”.
Polesitter Dixon led 95 of the 200 laps and was Chip Ganassi Racing’s main contender for the majority of the race once an emergency service under caution, and subsequent penalty for doing so, dropped team-mate Alex Palou to the rear of the field.
But inside the final 30 laps of the race, Dixon locked up when stopping for the final time as he attempted to get his car down to the 60mph pitlane speed limit.
He was immediately given a penalty for a speed violation and visited the pits on the following lap to serve this, which removed any chance of him fighting for victory – eventually taken by fellow Ganassi driver Marcus Ericsson.
“It’s just heartbreaking to be honest,” said Dixon of his mistake. “Must have been very close.
“I kind of came into the pit and locked the rears, and then kind of locked all four and I knew it was going to be close, I think it was like 1mph over or something.”
The Race asked IndyCar for the precise figure that Dixon was over the limit but the series did not disclose this.
However, The Race understands Dixon was 1mph over – as he suggested.
Dixon set a new record for career laps led in the Indy 500 during the 2022 race – which now stands at 665, the equivalent of more than three race distances – but he still only has one victory in IndyCar’s centrepiece race.
“[It is] just frustrating; the car was really good all day, we had really good speed, I think the team did an amazing job on strategy,” added Dixon, who finished 21st. “I just messed up.”
The Race says
Jack Benyon
Unless there was a system error or mechanical issue – and it doesn’t appear that was the case – this was a huge mistake from Dixon.
We give him all the credit he is due for last-gasp qualifying efforts such as the one that gave him his fifth Indy 500 pole position this year, but you can’t make an error like the one he did at such a crucial stage of the race, no matter how badly you want to win.
Dixon deserves more Indy 500 wins, but you don’t get them by finishing a race this way.
