Reigning NTT IndyCar Series points leader Scott Dixon has made it his ‘ultimate goal’ to wrap up his sixth drivers’ title at the Harvest Grand Prix double-header at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The spiritual home of IndyCar will see the series return to the road course layout due to the reconfigured, pandemic-affected race schedule.
In July’s GMR Grand Prix, Dixon was victorious in what was part of a three-race winning streak for the Kiwi to kickstart his 2020 campaign.
Dixon has been able to hold his points lead and has been the only driver to lead the standings this season. He will get his first chance to put the bow on a sixth IndyCar championship this weekend to leave him only one behind the legendary A.J Foyt.
With a maximum of 54 points on offer during a race weekend and no double-points for the season finale, the mathematics to decide the title becomes simple.
Currently, Dixon is 72 points clear of the nearest challenger Josef Newgarden and would need to outscore him by 36 points in Friday’s first race of the weekend to secure the title.
However, the requirements would become reversed for Saturday’s race where Newgarden must score high enough to be within 54 points of Dixon to take the fight to the final race in St.Petersburg on October 25.
When asked whether being able to secure the championship at the Harvest GP was a target, Dixon replied: “Yeah, that’s the ultimate goal, to leave this weekend without having to worry about the championship.
“We don’t really change our approach each weekend. I think when you come down to the nitty-gritty of the championship, you are aware of the points and the outcomes a little bit more than you would be, say, at the start or middle part of the season.
“We’ll focus on doing what we always try to do, and that’s win the race. I think if we can win race one or race two, that makes things a lot easier. If we can win the both of them, that seals the deal.
“We’ll go in there with that mindset, see what we come out with. You have to work hard. Very tough, up and down through different portions.
“For me, there would be no better way to close it out and show the thanks for the effort that everybody on our side has put out.”
The first of the Harvest Grand Prix double-header races takes place this Friday at 16:00 EDT, with the second the following day on Saturday at 14:30 EDT.
