CONCORD, N.C. – The very nature of progression is that a curve will eventually begin to flatten.
But Hendrick Motorsports hasn’t piled up 14 NASCAR Cup Series championships and 315 wins (and counting) by not being ahead of the curve.
Now, to stay there.
In the fourth season of the Gen 7, single-lug-nut era, the once-rapid improvement of pit stop times has begun to slow. Yet, crews continue to dig for every thousandth of a second, pushing the limits of what is possible in terms of swapping out four tires and filling a tank of fuel.
There’s plenty of statistical data pointing to continued, yet tapering gains on pit road. But with fast stops now clicking in under nine seconds, how much further – and faster – can crews possibly go?
Theories abound.
“I think we’re just scratching the surface, really,” projected Mike Moss, rear-tire changer on the No. 5 Chevrolet. “There’s so much gray area … we’re talking about thousandths of seconds now. So, I think we’ll hit a seven-second stop this year, probably a high seven, like a 7.8 or something like that. But I think the limit will probably be about 7.1 I’d say. Let’s just say a 6.9, how about that?”
Andrew Bridgeforth, the rear-tire changer on the No. 48 team, heads for the left side of the car during a pit stop at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Though not all were as confident as Moss when it comes to the margin, across the board, crewmen on all four of Hendrick Motorsports’ teams agreed that continued tweaking and experimentation should lead to further strides.
“In your mind, you kind of think that there’s a limit, but you just keep pushing and scratching to find tenths, half-of-tenths of a second,” said TJ Semke, jackman for the No. 9 team. “A week ago, we ran a 7.64 in practice and in your head, you think, ‘Well, that’s probably about tapped out.” But then you think, ‘We could have done a faster right side, we could have done a faster left side, if we’d only pieced this and this together.’ It’s hard to fathom for a lot of people what a tenth is and how hard it is to find a lot of times but that becomes the passion as you get into this. You get hungry, you get greedy, you watch film over and over and practice so hard just to find a tenth. It’s fun to chase after that. It’s fun to find. And we’re always looking.”
So, how hard really is a tenth of a second to find? And how much could a tenth of a second on pit road really mean?
Our friends from Racing Insights provided some data from every points-paying race in the Next Gen era(2022-present) except for events on the Bristol Dirt Track in 2022 and 2023 in which competitive pit stops were not allowed. And two things were immediately apparent – the continued march forward is still in progress and the margins between crews on pit road continue to tighten.
For instance, the average time of the best pit stop in each race in 2022 was 10.2219 seconds. In 2023 it was 9.858. Last year, it fell again to 9.5797. And through 11 races in 2025 (the data was collected before last Sunday’s race at Kansas Speedway), that number was up a tick to 9.5836 seconds from 2024, yet as a whole was still ahead of pace. The average fastest pit stop in 2024 through the first 11 races of the year was 9.774 seconds.
A similar story is told when looking at the teams who established the fastest average time through each event in the same time period. In 2022, that number was 11.1606 seconds, declining to 10.6146 in 2023 and 10.3224 in 2024. Prior to Kansas this year, the best average pit stop per race was at 10.3377 seconds, but over three tenths of a second better from the first 11 races of 2024 (10.693 seconds).
In short, it’s a simple story for NASCAR Cup Series pit crews these days – get better or get left behind. And in that effort, there’s no shortage of ideas and little teams won’t try to find an edge.
“Our guys come up with stuff. They try stuff and we will talk through it in practice and we’ll try different techniques here and there and if it works, great,” Jacob Claborn, head pit coach at Hendrick Motorsports, said. “If it doesn’t, we can it and move on.
“For example, there’s a specific way that one of our jackmen started dropping the right side of the car and getting to the left side of the car and we found speed in that and other guys have picked that up. Just little things here and there. So, there’s definitely always going to be room to grow with it. It’s going to come down to the consistency of doing it every single time.”
Therein lies the rub: It’s one thing to rip off a fast pit stop. It’s another to do it time and time again, which is the demand of Next Gen racing.
The No. 24 pit crew looks on during a caution flag.
And, just where are the gains going to come from? The answer to that question is what has crew chiefs, pit coaches and crewmen digging each day. And again, theories vary.
“I think the biggest thing is going to be the right sides,” Moss said. “Right now, on average the right sides are between three (seconds) to a 3.4. If we can consistently get them below that … it’s hard to run a 2.8 right side, everybody has to execute, but if we can continue to be consistent, once we get to 2.7, 2.8 right sides the left side is the easy part.”
It’s hard to imagine any easy part existing. The truth is, never before has the spotlight shone so brightly on pit crews as in the current, Next Gen era. On-track passing has never been more difficult, putting further onus on limiting mistakes on pit road. Add to that ever quickening four-tire stops and a continued narrowing of the margin between the best crews and the worst and any, tiny mishap could be devastating to the entire day of a race team.
Moss was once a collegiate athlete, playing basketball for three years at St. Joseph’s College in Indiana before transferring to play a season of football at Robert Morris. It’s a path taken by many in the business who eventually land on NASCAR pit crews and along with athleticism, a life spent in the throes of competition forges competitiveness and grit.
Then there’s the ability to shoulder the immense pressure that comes with the pursuit and demand of perfection. Ask a Hendrick Motorsports crew member about pressure and he’ll likely dismiss it, citing that, “pressure is a privilege”.
But it’s there, nonetheless. And it’s something Hendrick Motorsports crewmen must face head on with every trip to the race track and with every leap over the wall.
“There’s a heightened pressure but that’s what we signed up for,” John Gianninoto, fueler for the No. 9 squad said. “If you don’t have that pressure it probably means the stop doesn’t matter. We’re looking forward to when it comes to crunch time and we’re trying to get that win and we have to beat that other team out.”
“Everyone handles pressure in their own way,” Semke added. “A lot of times, pressure makes you perform and having those nerves, that pressure and that weight, I think, is a good way to work harder, hone your skills and keep pushing. People want to be where you’re at. It’s an honor to hold this position as long as we’ve had it.”
Semke and Gianninoto are part of a No. 9 squad that has remained largely intact since 2018. That longevity and familiarity is certainly an advantage, especially when it comes to teamwork in conditions in which verbal communication is often impossible amid the roar of engines. And with five bodies in motion in close quarters while slinging tires, jacks and heavy fuel cans, developing a sense for one another’s movements is huge not only in the quest for time, but in terms of safety as well.
No. 9 team jackman TJ Semke (center) huddles with his teammates on pit road during a NASCAR Cup Series race in 2025.
Still, Gianninoto said fine tuning continues, even for a group as tenured as the 9 crew.
“We’re still learning with each other, which is funny since we’ve been with each other so long,” Gianninoto said. “We’re all learning how our bodies mingle with each other, where I can get more room where you can get more room, where you can take more space to make your job a bit faster. That’s really what we’ve been focusing on: How we can mesh together to take advantage of all of our body types and if one guy can get in the hub faster than the other, can he give more room when he gets the tire out, so we get the tire back in?”
To that point, Ryan Patton, tire carrier for the No. 24 car, also said taking each other’s movements into account is a key to continuing to find more speed in stops.
“At some point, I think it may plateau, but as of right now we’re still searching for those tenths here or there,” Patton said. “It’s not just like, ‘How can I be better at my particular task?’ It’s, ‘OK, how can I set up the guy working beside me?’ How can I make sure that on the right side of the car, I’m placing the right front tire in the right spot for (jackman) Spencer (Bishop)) to be able to grab it most efficiently and quickly to put the right-front tire on? Where am I at as I’m running across the front of the pit box so Jeff (Cordero), my front changer, can see the car better so he can pick it up faster to anticipate where (driver William Byron is) going to stop? All while I need to be on time in the right rear.
“I think that’s one thing that as you look at times people don’t really think about is, they see our names like up on the marquee and they’ll watch the pit stop competition and they’re going to put our name up on a graphic, but it’s not just that. It’s all of the guys even down to the engineers, the guys that set up the car … every person has a hand in like a fast pit stop. So, if you can get all those things to click, then yeah, in the right magic potion, you’ll see those high sevens, low-eight-second pit stops.”
Jacob Conley returns over the wall after fueling the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet at a race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
At least, at some circuits. Stop times are also directly affected by the track. Referring back to the graph, pit stops spike at drafting tracks, which are often home to fuel-mileage races in the Next Gen era. Now with the single lug nut and three-plus years of reps, it takes longer to fill a car with gas than it does to change four tires, meaning drivers are waiting on fuelers to pack it as full as humanly possible.
Often, road course races can become mileage wars as well. So, there’s an adaptability required among crew members as well and maybe more so for fuelers, than anyone.
“We used to be aiming for two-and-a-half, three seconds on our exchanges and now they want them at two seconds or below and it’s like, you’ve got to cover that same amount of ground with the same amount of fuel,” Jacob Conley, fueler on the No. 48 Chevrolet explained. “The can hasn’t gotten any lighter, so it’s you trying to cover more ground. For me, it’s just that emphasis on perfection. The car comes in and you’ve got to hit it. Everything has to go your way.
“That’s especially true on the intermediate tracks. Our guys were fast at the end of last year and I don’t anticipate them checking up. When we get to Atlanta (Motor Speedway), Daytona (International Speedway) or COTA, those will be fuel-heavy races so they’re waiting on me. But when we go into a Phoenix (Raceway) or Las Vegas (Motor Speedway) where they’re going to want to go fast, that’s when the job really picks up. Our guys are running nine flats to sub-nine-second pit stops and you’re trying to get as much fuel in as you can, so, that’s when the stress really picks up because I’m just out there trying to do the best I can.”
No. 24 team tire carrier, Ryan Patton, shares a moment with driver, William Byron, after the team won its second straight DAYTONA 500 to start the 2025 season.
In the end, despite the demands of the job and the scrutiny from the outside, that’s about all a crewman can be asked of. And at Hendrick Motorsports, sure there a cabinet full of talented and willing competitors. But it’s the interweaving of relationships, selflessness and the relentless pursuit of advancement that has and will continue to set the organization apart, no matter the threshold of what’s possible on pit road.
“The terms, ‘family’ and ‘brotherhood’ get thrown around so loosely that I don’t think people really understand the gravity of those words,” Patton concluded. “At any time, I can have a hard or good conversation with anybody on my team, and they know it’s because I care about them and vice versa. I think teams want that and they emulate that. That’s one of the things about our team that makes it so special.
“And we can’t force people to be like that, that’s who they are. That’s in their DNA. Our team over the last few years has gotten closer and closer … It’s not just nuts and bolts that make the car better, that make pit stops better. It’s those extra things. I think we pride ourselves in that each and every week.
“We know that at Hendrick Motorsports, when we show up at the race track we’ve got a chance to win. So, I don’t think you ever get a break from feeling that pressure. But we condition ourselves all year, even out on the practice pad, to be as perfect as possible so that way, when we get to the race track, we’re ready to go. There’s no surprises. It’s not a switch that you can turn on and off, it’s all the time. I think that’s what makes the good teams, good and the great teams, great.”
Lindsay Brewer grabbed attention with a playful new Instagram post shared on Monday, December 29.
“I’m your Uber driver, get in!” the professional race car driver and social media personality, 28, captioned photos in which she posed inside a parked vehicle in Laguna Beach, California. Brewer sat sideways in the driver’s seat with the door open, smiling directly at the camera as palm trees and a bright blue sky framed the background.
For the look, Brewer wore a fitted white cropped tank that highlighted her toned midsection, layered over a bright yellow bikini top. She paired the top with loose-fitting, light-wash jeans. White sneakers completed the outfit, keeping things sporty and practical while still photo-ready.
Lindsay Brewer/Instagram
Her long blonde hair was styled in soft waves that fell over her shoulders, and her makeup appeared natural, with a fresh glow that fit the sunny beachside setting. Brewer accessorized minimally, letting the outfit and setting do most of the talking.
Known for balancing her racing career with a strong social media presence, Brewer has built a loyal following by blending high-speed motorsports with lifestyle content.
Although he’s now 42, Mike Rockenfeller is practically ageless. He still looks as young and drives as fast as his younger teammates within the Ford Multimatic Motorsports stable of Mustang GT3 drivers. He can easily be viewed one of sports car racing’s greatest drivers, ambassadors and gentlemen of the millennium with his affable attitude and incredible insights.
The German driver best known as “Rocky” made his early mark coming up the sports car ladder with two distinct German brands: Porsche and Audi. In 2010, he won both the Rolex 24 At Daytona and 24 Hours of Le Mans overall in the same year; the Rolex aboard an Action Express Racing Riley-Porsche closed cockpit Daytona Prototype and Le Mans in a factory Audi R15 TDI Plus diesel LMP1 open prototype. He’s the second most recent driver to do that, as Fernando Alonso did so in 2019 with a Cadillac DPi-V.R at the Rolex 24 and a Toyota TS050 Hybrid in LMP1 at Le Mans.
But in recent years, “Rocky’s” manufacturer presence has been distinctly American. He raced both GT and Daytona Prototype Corvettes off-and-on through the mid-2010s, and then was the sports car expert who guided Jimmie Johnson, Jenson Button and the Hendrick Motorsports collaborative Garage 56 Chevrolet Camaro ZR1 to take NASCAR back to Le Mans in 2023. He also ran select NASCAR Cup Series races for Johnson’s Legacy Motor Club team when it still ran Chevrolets.
Since 2024, “Rocky” has been a “blue oval” man through and through. He’s been back in a full-time seat in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship as part of Ford’s Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD PRO) effort, and through the end of 2025, was the only driver Ford kept in that full-time role for both seasons.
For 2026, things change a bit. After Rockenfeller and Harry Tincknell shared the No. 64 Ford Mustang GT3 in 2024 and Rockenfeller and Seb Priaulx then partnered to be the proverbial veteran and young charger pairing in 2025, both “Rocky” and “Sebby” shift to Michelin Endurance Cup roles in 2026 split between the Nos. 64 and 65 cars.
Rockenfeller seems to feel something different with Ford than he did with the German brands he raced with earlier in his career. As he reflected during the IMSA-sanctioned November test, being part of Ford means going back more than a century and building on it as Ford continues its global motorsports ramp-up to be one of the world’s most pre-eminent motorsport manufacturers.
“Where I’ve come from, I was not surprised… but at Charlotte when they did the season launch two years ago, I’d just joined the program so I only understood it somewhat,” Rockenfeller explained. “But they do NASCAR. Off-road. Baja. Obviously sports car racing. They will do F1. Then Hypercar/GTP… yes, it’s Europe for now, but hopefully they come to the U.S. It’s unreal how big their program is. The Red Bull F1 thing I hope will be very successful, super cool and exciting. The range they go is unreal.”
Ford’s perception is changing globally, too, he noted.
“For me coming from different brands and joining a new one, in Europe, Ford is a different brand than what it is in the U.S.,” Rockenfeller said. “Here, it’s massive. There, the Germans are quite big. That’s normal.
“But I always had friends driving Ford. A friend of mine in go-karts has three Ford dealerships. I always looked at it, but I never imagined I’d race for Ford. To get to know the family and Jim Farley and all of them, (Mark) Rushbrook, it’s such a family. And they’re emotional with racing. They really love it, and you can see it in the programs they do.”
Rockenfeller then proceeded to tell just how much of the Ford family presence the manufacturer wanted to share with its drivers.
“The first year in Detroit, we went to the Henry Ford House, where he basically lived. It’s kind of a museum almost,” he said. “It’s unreal to hear the stories; Edsel and that. It’s unreal. To hopefully write some history together is great. I feel such a part of it. To identify, it takes a bit of time. You need to know the cars, the people, and success and not success together. Year three … this year changed a lot for me. I feel like I’m there now.”
Indeed, the leap Ford made in IMSA from year one in 2024 to year two in 2025 with the Mustang GT3 was paramount. Rockenfeller won the Motul Pole Award for the Rolex 24 and the duo finished third with third driver Austin Cindric, who was deputizing for the injured Ben Barker. The sister No. 65 car won the Rolex with Frederic Vervisch, Christopher Mies and Dennis Olsen.
Ford’s No. 64 car enjoyed major success as the year progressed with two wins on the streets of Detroit – notably cast against the corporate headquarters and backdrop of crosstown rivals General Motors – and then the six-hour TireRack.com Battle On The Bricks in Indianapolis. With one other podium (second at Road America), Rockenfeller and Priaulx finished third in GTD PRO points.
“Every victory is special in its own,” Rockenfeller admitted. “Detroit is the only street circuit (for GTD PRO). It’s cool scenery and it’s different. I love to race in cities anyway but that’s the only chance on the calendar to do so. We don’t do Long Beach. Then obviously that’s the home race for Ford Motor Company and GM is there. It’s a big battle between us. To come out on top was the highlight.
“Indy was so cool; we were second the year before. We knew it was a strong place for us. To win with ‘Sebby’ was good as we just started working together this year and it turned out to be a pretty good combo.
“Then at Indy, it was special to have the whole family (as part of new IMSA Resilient Racers program) there enjoying it, taking the pictures, being on the podium. Especially as a father of three, you understand what matters in life. You think racing is the most important or when you’re doing it. But there’s a lot more in life, to share emotions and give something back. That’s very special.”
For 2026, Rockenfeller will share the No. 64 car with Olsen and Barker, who are set to embark on the full-season effort. That means Rockenfeller’s IMSA goal for 2026 is trophy hunting at the three longest Michelin Endurance Cup rounds, and notably, adding another Rolex watch to his 2010 one. Missing out in 2025 stung, he admitted.
“In the end, to win you need to be perfect,” he said. “The other car had a better setup and we didn’t. The last two tenths, probably. They deserved it! I’m happy they did. Obviously, I’m a Ford driver, so it’s good for all of us if the car wins.
“In the end we had a strong season. I’m sure the big goal is to win the championship. If you ask me what do you prefer, I don’t know if I would pick between 24 and the championship. Probably the championship. It gives a better picture of the whole year.
“But at Daytona, I’d like to get a free watch and not have to buy one!”
When Rick Hendrick entered the NASCAR Cup Series competition in 1984 with Geoff Bodine piloting the No. 5 car, Dale Earnhardt had already etched his name into history with a Cup championship in 1980. Hendrick initially set his sights on bringing Dale Sr. into his fledgling operation, but timing and circumstance shut that door.
When Hendrick made his pitch, Dale Sr. remained aligned with Bud Moore Engineering, a team with history in the sport since the 1960s, and by the time Hendrick officially launched his effort, Senior had already committed to the more established Richard Childress Racing.
Revisiting that crossroads on the Dale Jr. Download, Hendrick recently detailed how close the paths briefly ran. When Dale Earnhardt Jr. referenced a photo of Hendrick and Earnhardt standing together in the garage at Charlotte Motor Speedway, with Dale Sr. dressed in blue while testing a Cup car, Hendrick explained that he had asked him to shake the car down.
As the conversation extended, Hendrick admitted his interest in landing Dale Sr. Still, Hendrick Motorsports was little more than a blank page at the time, without results or reputation to lean on, and Dale Sr. chose not to take the gamble. Hendrick acknowledged he understood the odds, noting that his chances were “zero,” before adding, “But I’m a car salesman. I mean, I’ve got to try, right?”
The connection between the two, however, predated Hendrick Motorsports’ Cup debut. In 1983, when Hendrick first dipped his toes into stock car racing ownership with Robert Gee, the duo had called on Dale Sr. to drive their No. 15 at Charlotte in the Late Model Sportsman division, now known as the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
That decision paid immediate dividends as Dale Sr. won in his first outing for the team, delivering Hendrick his first-ever victory as a stock car owner. Later that same year, Dale Sr. climbed into the No. 5 again, this time to test for All-Star Racing. One season later, that program officially went racing, marking another early chapter in Hendrick’s ascent.
Years down the line, the storyline came full circle when the elder Earnhardt’s son, Dale Earnhardt Jr., eventually joined Hendrick Motorsports and took over the No. 88. In his first race with the organization, the exhibition event ahead of the Daytona 500 in 2008, he drove straight to victory lane.
Hence, father and son both won on debut for Rick Hendrick, separated by 25 years, and did so in cars carrying the same name. The original 1983 entry was called “Emma,” named after Gee’s mother, and in 2008, the No. 88 chassis carried the same name as a tribute.
Dennis Hamlin, father of NASCAR Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin, died Sunday night at the age of 75 from injuries sustained in a house fire at the family’s home. Hamlin’s mother, Mary Lou, remains hospitalized in critical condition.
The Gaston County Office of Emergency Management and Fire Services issued a press release stating that first responders were dispatched to the home in the Stanley community at 6:19 p.m. ET. They arrived eight minutes later and found the residence engulfed in flames. There were two occupants discovered outside the home who were transported to a nearby hospital.
Dennis Hamlin later died at the hospital. Mary Lou Hamlin, 69, was transferred to Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Burn Center in Winston-Salem, where officials said she is “actively being treated.”
Denny Hamlin’s parents were instrumental in helping him pursue his career in NASCAR. In 2006, he signed with Joe Gibbs Racing and has claimed 60 Cup Series wins with the team.
He dedicated his victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway to his father.
“He’s the one that got me into racing,” Hamlin said, “He just took me to a racetrack when I was 5 and then made all the sacrifices financially to keep me going. Sold everything they had. We almost lost our house a couple times, just tried to keep it all going. I’m glad he was able to see 60. That was super important to me.”
Due to extensive damage, the cause of the fire has not been determined as the investigation continues.
NASCAR issued the following statement on Dec. 30: “NASCAR extends its deepest condolences to Denny Hamlin and the entire Hamlin family. Dennis Hamlin instilled a love of racing in his son, and sacrificed greatly to develop Denny into a world-class talent in the sport. We also continue to offer our thoughts and prayers to Denny’s mother, Mary Lou, and hope for her full recovery.”
Natalie Decker and her husband, Derek Lemke, are embracing life as new parents, spending the holiday season between Christmas and New Year focused on family while keeping one eye firmly on the road back to NASCAR. Decker last took the green flag in August 2025 at Daytona, where she finished 22nd, marking her return to competition months after welcoming their son in February. While she is currently savoring motherhood and marriage, another long-held ambition remains front and center, one she shares with her husband and intends to chase down.
A year ago, during an interview with Frontstretch, Decker sat down with Wyatt Watson ahead of her second career start at Charlotte Motor Speedway and laid out several personal goals. She spoke about a dream partnership with Bikini Zone, highlighted the importance of promoting sponsorship alongside her family, reflected on married life, and opened up about a shared vision with Lemke, which is lining up against him on the racetrack.
As Decker put it, “That’s literally our goal and dream. We talk about that daily. So here’s the thing: Derek has never beaten me. We talk about that all the time.” She explained that the two have raced each other only a handful of times so far, but they plan to settle the score properly by competing head-to-head in either a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race or an Xfinity Series event in the near future.
The intention, she said, is “We have to make it happen, and then we can then determine who is better after that race.”
When discussing married life, Decker shared that very little has changed beyond the wedding bands now on their fingers. Their lives, she noted, had already been connected long before the ceremony. Once Lemke was fully committed to supporting her racing career, they immediately approached everything as a team.
Decker added that they have been together for more than eight years (now over nine), and married for some time, and she finds it deeply fulfilling. For the 28-year-old, one of the highlights of getting married was celebrating alongside friends and family, hosting a large gathering that turned into an unforgettable occasion.
In 2025, Decker also joined a select group of women who returned to NASCAR competition after becoming mothers.
Beyond Shawna Robinson, one of only 17 women to start a NASCAR Cup Series race, who had two children in the late 1990s before competing in 21 races across NASCAR’s three national divisions between 2001 and 2005, drivers such as Sara Christian, Jessica Friesen, Tina Gordon, Ethel Mobley, Alli Owens, and Kelly Sutton also raced after entering motherhood.
Backed by sponsorship from Wawa, Decker drove the #92 DGM Racing Chevy in the NASCAR Xfinity Series event at Daytona International Speedway, and might be ready to do that in 2026 as well.
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Six-time IndyCar champion Scott Dixon was awarded a knighthood Wednesday in New Zealand’s New Year honors list.
“I’ve been called a lot of things, but I never thought that ‘Sir’ was going to be one of them,” Dixon said. “That was kind of crazy. Totally out of the blue … You automatically go back to the start like the first time driving a go-kart and then all the rest of the memories happened at warp speed.”
Scott Ronald Glyndwr Dixon, now a Knight Commander of the New Zealand Order of Merit, was born in Australia to New Zealand-born parents who later returned to live in Auckland.
Dixon, who won the Indianapolis 500 in 2008, received the knighthood for services to motor sport. He was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2024.
“Sir Scott is a hero to young New Zealand motor sport fans and his work fundraising for children’s charities is invaluable,” New Zealand’s Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said.
Dixon won karting titles in Australia and New Zealand before heading to the United States where he raced in Indy Lights and CART series before moving to IndyCar in 2003.
Dixon has had 23 consecutive seasons for Chip Ganassi Racing in IndyCar with 58 wins and 142 podium finishes from 380 starts. He has started 32 times from pole position and won the championship in 2003, 2008, 2013, 2015, 2018 and 2020.
“It’s all about outside racing giving back to the community and the partnerships you make away from the track and causes you get involved in,” Dixon said.
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