Scott Dixon has announced his intention to leave Chip Ganassi Racing at the end of the season, and he is aware of the magnitude of that decision.
After racing with CGR for 25 years, one of the longest driver / team relationships in motorsports history, Dixon is making sure his exit is respectful.
He described at Mid-Ohio how some of the conversations went behind closed doors, and how he made sure to have open conversations with members of the team.
“For me, it was more about being respectful,” Dixon told Motorsportweek.com.
“I know there’s been a lot of chatter, but for me the conversations have been going on for a while. I sat down with Chip [Ganassi] and Mike [Hull] and Bill Demchak at PNC, we spoke a lot.
“That is all that matters for me. Doesn’t really matter about all the noise and stuff that’s going on. Definitely a hard decision, and one that took a long time.”
Ganassi revealed that he made a multi-year offer to keep Dixon on the squad, but that was turned down so he could pursue other avenues.
The 45-year-old related that he hopes to turn around some of this year’s struggles as he finishes out his final season with CGR.
“It’s been a trying season,” Dixon continued. “Been frustrating, even at Road America where we ended up getting two penalties that were not real. Which is kind of bizarre.
“We’ve definitely had a pretty rough patch throughout. My other team-mates have had a bit of a rough run as well in certain situations.
“The team has got good speed as a whole. Look at Alex, with the past five poles is insanity. For our side, just a smooth weekend would play well.”
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