Although he hasn’t managed to win a seventh IndyCar championship this year, Scott Dixon spent his Milwaukee Mile weekend breaking records.
He became the second driver in series history to reach 400 starts this weekend, and now just sits six behind the legendary Mario Andretti.
But, in race two on Sunday, the Kiwi driver used his excellent car to stay in contention for the win right until the end of the race as his rivals fell around him.
The win just evaded him as Scott McLaughlin had enough speed to carry himself home for a third IndyCar win this season, but Dixon used his experience to be in that position in the first place.
Scott Dixon proud to break ‘very special’ Mario Andretti record
After the race, Dixon was informed that his second place – a 142nd of his career, was good enough to beat one of Mario Andretti’s longest standing records.
He now holds the most podiums in series history, and remained humble when discussing the feat after the race.
READ MORE: Conor Daly sends wholesome message to Will Power after stunning Milwaukee Mile performance
“Yeah, it’s cool,” he told Motorsport Week. “Obviously Mario, I’m a massive fan of Mario. He’s a huge part of our series.
“Again, I keep saying it, but it’s so cool that him and A.J. [Foyt] and many others, whether it’s Rick [Mears], come to a lot of our races.
“Obviously Mario raced in a lot of different categories, as well, and achieved many great things. Just to be mentioned with any of those guys is very special.”
Dixon falls short in championship chase
The biggest shame for Dixon, is that he trails championship leader Alex Palou by 82 points headed into the final race of the season and is out of contention for the championship.
He proved at Milwaukee how useful his experience can be, and there’s a feeling of what could have been after he was taken out of the Grand Prix of Portland just two races ago.
READ MORE: ‘Miserable’ Pato O’Ward glad McLaren are struggling after ‘really frustrating’ 2024 IndyCar campaign
He would likely still just about be in the frame for the title, but poor showings at Mid-Ohio and Road America have also cost him.
As it stands, he will just have to be around to support his Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Palou beat their Team Penske rival Will Power to a third crown in four years.
But the team will need to fix their reliability woes, after the Spaniard suffered an electrical issue at Milwaukee that sent him nearly 30 laps down and ruled him out of contention for the top 10.