Honda Car Forum

You could have labeled Scott Dixon many things when he began his Indy Car career
in 2001: Promising, focused, quick and quiet all come readily to mind.

But nobody would have used the term "oval meister."

When informed of his new moniker, Dixon grinned and said: "Yeah, that
would have been hard to imagine even a couple years ago.

"But I guess you could say I'm feeling pretty comfortable on them [oval
tracks] anymore."

Think so? Consider this: Through July, there had been 14
races, nine of them on ovals. Four of Dixon's five wins to date
have come on the circle circuits: The season opener at
Homestead, the 92nd Indianapolis 500, Texas and Nashville.

More impressive, he's been on the pole five times and led an impressive
1,282 laps. Had it not been for a couple of untimely yellow flags, it's real
easy to see the 27-year-old Kiwi having as many as seven wins on the allleft-
turn tracks this season.

"Since we've been teammates, I've really seen his confidence grow on
ovals and he knows what he wants in the car and it shows," said Dan
Wheldon, the other half of the formidable two-car lineup at Target Chip
Ganassi Racing.

"He's much more comfortable now."

Team manager Mike Hull noticed the difference in 2007.

"It started to happen right after Indy. Scott dedicated himself to making
himself a better driver on ovals," said Hull. "He started working
on the exit
of Turns One and Three instead of Turns Two and Four, and just trying to
improve his overall craft.

"He's done a terrific job and he's raised the bar for himself and our
team."
Even though his initial CART victory came on an oval (Nazareth) as a rookie,
the 2000 Indy Lights champ was more of a road racer and that showed
during his first few years in the Indy Racing League.

True, he did win three times on ovals during his run to the 2003 IRL title,
but he really struggled in 2004 and 2005, at least partially hampered by a
down-on-power Toyota engine, winning only once (at Watkins Glen in
2005). He also pounded the wall so hard at Milwaukee during qualifying in
2006 that he missed the race.

"I did OK on ovals when I first started, but it wasn't something I enjoyed
all
that much," continued Dixon. "Then, I really struggled in 2004
and 2005 before things started getting better last year.

"It's pretty straightforward. On the mile-and-a-half tracks, it's
all about having the right package and my guys have given
me great cars the past couple years. At places like
Milwaukee, a driver can make more of a difference but obviously, you still
need a good-handling chassis.

"I think we've found a nice balance."

Which is why Hull rates Dixon so highly.

"There's a fine line between confidence and intimidation on ovals and
I
think Scott is right in the middle. It's fun to run with him and he's a very
bright guy. And I'm real glad he's decided he likes ovals."

Wheldon knows the feeling.

"Scott is having a season like I did in 2005," said the man who
won the Indy
500 and IRL crown that year. "He's on top of his game and everything is
clicking. Right now, he's a tough guy to beat.

" 'Dixie' is on a roll."

Typical of the soft-spoken New Zealand native, Dixon doesn't get too high
or too low despite his success.

"We're running real well and leading the standings, but there are a lot
of
races left in 2008," he cautioned.

That's probably bad news for his competitors.