The IndyCar championship battle has been a hard-fought contest this season and there are three drivers in mathematical contention heading into the season’s final round.
Alex Palou holds a commanding 33-point advantage over his nearest rival, Will Power, while Scott McLaughlin is highly unlikely to win the title as he is 50 points down.
Nashville Superspeedway hasn’t been on the IndyCar calendar since 2008 when Dixon won his third straight race there.
Heading into Nashville, Dixon has given his verdict on the championship battle as his Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Palou is battling for his third title.
He said when speaking to NBC Sports that Palou has a big opportunity to clinch the title and Power missed a chance to sizeably close the gap at the Milwaukee Mile.
Scott Dixon believes the IndyCar title battle is ‘kind of already over’
Heading into the final round of the season at Nashville, the 33-point advantage gives Palou a margin for error, while Power has to deliver a strong result.
The Team Penske driver missed a chance to fully take advantage of Palou’s mechanical issues in the opening stages of the race, making an error and finishing and 10th place.
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The Spaniard can make a mistake on the track, but Dixon explained that an issue with his No.10 car in two consecutive races is unlikely.
He said: “I think it’s kind of already over, man. I think Power got his miracle in Milwaukee, man. Two miracles in a row is going to be pretty tough to see.
“It was an open door with the problem that Alex had at Milwaukee, and (Power) didn’t come up with it. If you’re in a situation you can help, you will. It’s too hard to plan that stuff now, man. If you plan it and go in with a set kind of mindset, you’re just going to screw it up.”
The Nashville Superspeedway is an unknown quantity after being off the IndyCar calendar since 2008
The final three races of the IndyCar season are being held on ovals, with a doubleheader at Milwaukee and the last race of the year at Nashville.
At Nashville, the weekend will be condensed into a two-day format, with all running on Saturday and Sunday, leaving less time to repair the car if there is an incident.
Ovals has been a slight weakness for Palou throughout his career. He has failed to win on that type of circuit and crashed at Iowa earlier this year.
Nashville also has more banking than some other ovals on the calendar, with 14 degrees compared to just nine degrees of banking in Milwaukee.