There’s no doubt about it, Scott Dixon is King of the Road. Since the IndyCar Series roared into Watkins Glen back in 2005, Dixon has driven his No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi car to collect all three checkered flags. Last year’s victory started a streak of wins for Dixon that saw him sweep all the road courses on the IndyCar circuit. Riding into this year’s Camping World Grand Prix at the Glen atop the points standings, Dixon cautions that past performance isn’t a guarantee of future results — but he is optimistic.
    When I had a chance to ask Dixon about his quest for a fourth victory at Watkins Glen, he said, “Hopefully we keep the ball rolling, but I think if you talk about how fantastic you are too much it’s all going to fall over on you. It can turn on you pretty quick, so you have to try to ride the wave as long as you can and hopefully it never falls off until we win another championship.”
    And what a wave it’s been. This year Dixon has claimed five poles. He has led 633 laps in all races, which is nearly a third of all the laps the series has run, and has three wins, including the coveted Indianapolis 500. With the exception of one DNF earlier this season due to mechanical issues (at the Streets of St. Petersburg), in every other race, he has finished no lower than fourth.
    If Dixon is looking in his rearview mirror regarding the points standings, he sees Team Penske’s Helio Castroneves. Castroneves is just 49 points behind Dixon in the points race. He has finished at least fifth in every IndyCar race but one this year (14th two weeks ago at Iowa), and he has claimed the pole in all three races at Watkins Glen. Dixon doesn’t take Castroneves’ challenge lightly.
    “At the moment, I really feel I have to push on the ovals because Helio is extremely strong on the road courses,” said Dixcon. “I think both of us are going to be fairly well-matched at a lot of those places, and that’s almost half of the remainder of the season.”
    Castroneves has two DNFs at Watkins Glen despite his strong showing in qualifying. Last year he made contact with the wall on the front stretch and also a went out after a wreck in 2005. In 2006, he came in seventh.
The road course at Watkins Glen, at 3.4 miles, is the longest track the IndyCar Series will see by nearly a mile. Long straightaways and tight turns make it a challenging track.
    “I’ve always thought the Watkins Glen layout is one of the most challenging around,” Dixon says. “Obviously we’ve enjoyed a fair bit of success there and I think physical fitness does play a big role.The track demands a lot from the driver. Training for triathlons is my way of preparing for the races.”
    Perhaps the biggest news in the IndyCar Series this season has been the reunification with the Champ Car World Series announced this spring, just before the start of the IndyCar Series schedule. The two series agreed to compete as one open-wheel series under the IndyCar Series Banner. This weekend, nine rookies from the Champ Car World Series will make their appearance at the Camping World Grand Prix at the Glen, but these rookies are experienced road racers. The Champ Car World Series ran a strictly road and street circuit, and while they have struggled on the oval tracks, Graham Rahal, son of 1986 Indianapolis 500 winner Bobby Rahal and the youngest IndyCar Series driver (he’s 19) to take the checkered flag, notched that first win last month at the Streets of St. Petersburg.
    Dixon told me he thinks the reunification is a good thing for open-wheel racing fans, and he believes the racing will be more exciting, especially on the Glen’s road course.
    “Obviously, with 8-10 more cars on the grid, things are going to be much more exciting for IndyCar fans. (I expect) lots of alternate strategies, overtaking and more drivers with road backgrounds. I think we saw that first hand at St. Petersburg this year with Graham Rahal and what some of the Champ Car teams were able to accomplish.”
    You can be sure that the road racers from the Champ Car Series are ready to put an end to Dixon’s string of Glen victories. Plenty of IndyCar Series drivers who have come oh, so close over the past three years wouldn’t mind claiming the checkered flag either. Dixon says it’s going to be an interesting weekend: “Stay tuned. This is going to be a race you won’t want to miss.”