Scott Dixon's hunt for back to back championships hit a major snag after Iowa. The Chip Ganassi Racing driver left Iowa with a 98-point gap to leader Josef Newgarden, however following a standout performance in Mid-Ohio, Dixon is now back in the hunt.
Scoring his sixth win at the road course, the New Zealander feels he has just as much of a shot at the title as Newgarden, Rossi and Pagenaud.
"I think going in, what were we, 98 points back and now 62 or low 60s right there, so that's a big shift," Dixon said. "Those are the weekends you need. We always go on about that 100-point mark, but when you come to the last race if you're that far back it's going to be impossible."
Dixon got a big break at Mid-Ohio, as on the last lap Ryan Hunter-Reay and Newgarden made contact helping Dixon gain even more points in the standings. Sitting so far back, Dixon knows that he will need a little help from the racing gods. However, no driver ever wants to wish back luck on their competitors.
"You've got to take it. You don't wish that on anybody," Dixon said. "Talking to Ryan, who I guess that altercation was with, he really didn't know what Josef was trying to do. Kind of a bit surprised to be honest, especially in the situation that he's had, but it happens. It happens to the best of us.
"We make these mistakes, and the unfortunate part with Josef, I think that's going to wind him up even more and he's going to be super strong come Pocono" Dixon added "Either way, I think he's going to be the person to beat. That team is super strong right now, and we're going to have our work cut out."
While the road to a Dixon comeback is going to be very difficult, it's not impossible. Dixon is no stranger to making up outlandish point gaps. In 2015, Dixon entered the final grand prix of the season 47 points back of Juan Pablo Montoya, using the double points to his advantage he won the champinship making up all 47 points in one race.
With the IndyCar finale moving this year to Weathertech Raceway Laguna Seca, it creates a new issue for the drivers. As most of the drivers have never raced at the facility in any capacity, it will be tough to see who has the edge come the final race. With four races left on the calender, Dixon will need to hit his marks everywhere he goes if he has any chance of chasing the title.
"Anything is possible," added Dixon. "I don't know, we've just got to keep our head down. We can't start thinking about that right now, and if you win races, that will take care of it."
