Scott Dixon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Scott DixonCNZM |
|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg)
Dixon at the 2021 Indianapolis 500
|
|||||||
| Born | Scott Ronald Dixon 22 July 1980 Brisbane, Queensland, Australia |
||||||
| Nickname | The Iceman | ||||||
| IndyCar Series career | |||||||
| 375 races run over 23 years | |||||||
| Team(s) | No. 9 (Chip Ganassi Racing) | ||||||
| Best finish | 1st (2003, 2008, 2013, 2015, 2018, 2020) | ||||||
| First race | 2003 Toyota Indy 300 (Homestead) | ||||||
| Last race | 2021 Honda Indy 200 (Mid-Ohio) | ||||||
| First win | 2003 Toyota Indy 300 (Homestead) | ||||||
| Last win | 2025 Honda Indy 200 (Mid-Ohio) | ||||||
|
|||||||
| Champ Car career | |||||||
| 39 races run over 2 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 8th (2001) | ||||||
| First race | 2001 Tecate/Telmex Grand Prix of Monterrey (Monterrey) | ||||||
| Last race | 2002 Gran Premio Telmex-Gigante (Mexico City) | ||||||
| First win | 2001 Lehigh Valley Grand Prix (Nazareth) | ||||||
|
|||||||
| Previous series | |||||||
| 1994 1995–1996 1997–1998 1999–2000 2001–2002 |
NZ Formula Vee NZ Formula Ford Australian Formula Holden Indy Lights CART Champ Car |
||||||
| Championship titles | |||||||
|
|||||||
| Awards | |||||||
| 1999 2001 2003 2004 2006 2008 2009 2015 2019 2020 |
Jim Clark Trophy CART Rookie of the Year Jim Clark Trophy Bruce McLaren Trophy Jim Clark Trophy Rolex 24 at Daytona overall winner Bruce McLaren Trophy NZ Sportsman of the Year Inducted into MotorSport New Zealand Wall of Fame Rolex 24 at Daytona overall winner Jim Clark Trophy New Zealand Order of Merit Rolex 24 at Daytona overall winner |
||||||
| Signature | |||||||
 |
|||||||
Scott Ronald Dixon (born July 22, 1980) is a famous New Zealander race car driver. He drives the No. 9 Chip Ganassi Racing (CGR) Dallara DW12-Honda car in the IndyCar Series. Scott is a six-time IndyCar Series champion, winning titles in 2003, 2008, 2013, 2015, 2018, and 2020. He also won the big 2008 Indianapolis 500 race with CGR. Besides IndyCar, Dixon has won the 24 Hours of Daytona three times (in 2006, 2015, and 2020) and the Petit Le Mans twice.
Scott started karting when he was seven years old. He won 30 major karting titles in Australia and New Zealand. At 13, he began racing cars, winning several championships like the 1994 New Zealand Formula Vee Championship. He joined the CART series in 2001 and won his first major race in his third start. He moved to the IndyCar Series in 2003 and won the championship in his very first season.
Dixon has won 59 races in American open-wheel car racing and finished on the podium 143 times. He has also competed in endurance racing events like the 24 Hours of Le Mans. He was named New Zealand's Sportsman of the Year in 2008 and 2013.
Contents
About Scott Dixon
Scott Dixon was born in Brisbane, Australia, on July 22, 1980. He is the youngest child and only son of Ron and Glenys Dixon, who were New Zealanders living in Australia. Scott has two older sisters. Even though he was born in Australia, he is a New Zealand citizen. His parents also raced cars and owned a dirt speedway.
The Dixon family moved back to Auckland, New Zealand, when Scott was ten. He went to Manurewa Central Primary, Green Meadows Intermediate, and James Cook High School. In February 2008, Scott married Emma Davies-Dixon, who used to be a British and Welsh 800-meter running champion and a TV presenter. They have three children together.
How Scott Started Racing
Scott began racing go-karts at age seven after watching his cousins race. His parents encouraged him to race. At eight, he first drove a midget car. Scott was inspired by famous New Zealand drivers like Chris Amon and Bruce McLaren. Over six years, his parents bought more equipment as Scott got better. His father worked hard to pay for Scott's racing.
Scott won 30 major karting championships in Australia and New Zealand. This included the 1992 New Zealand Junior Restricted Championship.
Moving to Car Racing
At 13, Scott started racing cars. He got special permission to get a junior racing license. He won the 1994 New Zealand Formula Vee Championship on his first try, becoming its youngest champion. He also won the 1996 New Zealand Formula Ford Class II Championship with 13 wins out of 14 races.
His family then moved him to the main Formula Ford class. He won the 1996–1997 title with 8 wins from 15 starts. Later, Ken Smith became Scott's manager. Scott then raced in the Australian Drivers' Championship's Formula Holden class. He finished third and was named Rookie of the Year.
For his 1998 racing season, a company called Scott Dixon Motor Sport (SDMS) was formed to help fund his career. Scott won the Australian Gold Star Drivers' Championship that year with five wins. He also finished second in the New Zealand Grand Prix.
Racing in the United States
In late 1998, Scott moved to the United States to race in Indy Lights. He hoped to reach Formula One (F1) later. He raced for Johansson Motorsports in 1999, finishing fifth overall. He also trained to make his neck muscles stronger for the high speeds.
In 2000, Scott joined PacWest Racing's Indy Lights team. He won the championship with six victories, becoming the second-youngest winner in the series' history.
CART Racing (2001–2002)
.jpg)
In 2001, Scott moved up to the CART series with PacWest. He won his first major open-wheel race, the 2001 Lehigh Valley Grand Prix, in only his third start. He was just 20 years old, making him the youngest winner of a major open-wheel race at that time. He finished eighth in the championship and won the Rookie of the Year award.
In 2002, PacWest Racing had money problems and closed down. Scott then joined Chip Ganassi Racing (CGR) for the rest of the season. He finished 13th in the championship that year.
IndyCar Series (2003–Present)
Early IndyCar Success (2003–2006)
Scott Dixon and CGR moved to the IndyCar Series in 2003. Even though Scott was better at road courses, he quickly learned to race on oval tracks. He won his very first IndyCar race, the 2003 Toyota Indy 300. He then won two more races and finished second four times. Scott won the 2003 IndyCar championship with 507 points.
In 2004, Scott finished second once and had seven more top-ten finishes, ending the season in tenth place. For the 2005 season, CGR switched to Honda engines, which were more powerful. Scott won his first race in 40 starts at Watkins Glen.
In 2006, Scott started strong with two second-place finishes. He won two more races that year, at Watkins Glen and Nashville Speedway. He finished fourth overall in the championship.
Championship Wins (2007–2015)
.jpg)
In 2007, Scott had a great season, finishing second in the 2007 Indianapolis 500. He won three races in a row, which tied a series record. He finished second in the championship, just three points behind the winner.
The 2008 season was amazing for Scott. He won the first race of the season and then the famous 2008 Indianapolis 500. He led 115 laps in that race. He won five more races that year, including the 2008 Rexall Edmonton Indy and the 2008 Meijer Indy 300. Scott won his second IndyCar championship by a very close margin.
In 2009, Scott finished second in the championship. He won five races that season, breaking the all-time IndyCar series wins record. He continued to be a top driver, finishing third in the championship from 2010 to 2012.
Scott won his third IndyCar championship in 2013 with four victories. He won three races in a row that year, including both races of the 2013 Honda Indy Toronto doubleheader. In 2015, he won his fourth IndyCar championship. He tied on points with another driver but won the title because he had more victories.
More Championships and Recent Seasons (2016–Present)
In 2016, Scott won two races, including the 2016 IndyCar Grand Prix at The Glen. He finished sixth in the championship. In 2017, he qualified on pole position for the 2017 Indianapolis 500 but crashed during the race. Luckily, he was unhurt. He still managed to win one race and finish third in the championship.
Scott won his fifth IndyCar championship in 2018 with three victories. He continued his strong performance in 2019, winning two races and finishing fourth overall.
.jpg)
The 2020 season was shorter due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Scott started strong, winning the first three races. He won his 50th career race that year and went on to win his sixth IndyCar championship.
.jpg)
In 2021, Scott won one race and finished fourth in the championship. In 2022, he won two races and finished third overall. He also qualified on pole for the 2022 Indianapolis 500 but got a penalty that cost him the win.
In 2023, Scott won three races and finished second in the championship. He continued his streak of winning at least one race every season for 19 years! In 2024, he won two more races, including the 2024 Grand Prix of Long Beach and the 2024 Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix. He also broke Mario Andretti's record for most career IndyCar podiums. In 2025, he won the 2025 Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio.
Sports Car Racing
Scott also races in endurance events, which are very long races. He first raced in the 1999 Petit Le Mans. He has competed in the 24 Hours of Daytona many times, winning it in 2006, 2015, and 2020. He also won the Petit Le Mans in 2020 and 2024.
.jpg)
He has raced in the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans in France several times, finishing third in his class in 2016. In 2023, he finished fourth overall in the Hypercar class at Le Mans.
.jpg)
For 2025, Scott is set to race in five endurance races with Meyer Shank Racing.
Other Racing and Recognition
Scott was invited to race in the International Race of Champions (IROC) series in 2004. He also tested an F1 car for the Williams team in 2004, but he didn't join the team. In 2010, he raced in the V8 Supercars in Australia.
Scott's Driving Style
Scott Dixon is known for being a very patient driver. He often performs better in races than in qualifying. He is very good at making his car perform consistently throughout a race and a whole season. Scott is also known for being able to save more fuel than other drivers while still driving fast. This helps him make fewer or quicker pit stops during races.
Beyond Racing
Scott is an ambassador for groups that support young cancer patients, like CanTeen and Teen Cancer America. He also supports Chip Ganassi Racing's Women in Motorsport program. He has helped raise money for children's charities.
Scott has appeared on TV shows like Late Show with David Letterman and Live With Regis and Kelly. His life and racing career were featured in the 2018 documentary Born Racer.
He has received many awards, including the Jim Clark Trophy and the Bruce McLaren Trophy. He was named New Zealand's Sportsman of the Year in 2008 and 2013. In 2009, he was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, and in 2019, he became a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his services to motorsport.
In 2009, NZ Post released a series of stamps featuring Scott and other New Zealand motor racing champions. He was also inducted into the MotorSport New Zealand Wall of Fame. In 2018, the Mayor of Indianapolis declared September 24 "Scott Dixon Day" to honor his racing achievements. He was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2024 and the Long Beach Motorsports Walk of Fame in 2025.
Images for kids
-
Dixon's victory in the 2009 Honda 200 meant he surpassed Sam Hornish Jr.'s all time IndyCar series wins record
-
Scott Dixon enters Turn10 Morning Practice SPGP 28March22010 (14699233702).jpg
Dixon practising for the 2010 Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg
-
Dixon after winning the 2011 Indy Japan: The Final
-
Dixon en route to winning the 2012 Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix
-
Dixon racing in the 2017 Indianapolis 500
See also
In Spanish: Scott Dixon para niños
