Scott Dixon, six-time IndyCar Champion, set a new record at the 2026 Long Beach Grand Prix after he finished the race in P3. Securing his 156th podium in the series means that he continues to have the most podiums of any driver in the history of IndyCar.
Despite that impressive accolade, the Kiwi driver seemed somewhat indifferent to the result and instead is turning his focus to IndyCar’s biggest event: the Indianapolis 500.
Chip Ganassi Racing and Honda are on a high
If Chip Ganassi Racing was looking to make a statement at the Long Beach Grand Prix, they achieved their goal. Not only did Dixon extend his podium record in IndyCar but his teammate, Alex Palou, stormed to the front of the grid to secure his third win of the season.
During a press conference after the 2026 Long Beach Grand Prix, Dixon was pleased to have a good qualifying session and then race.
“Yeah, huge weekend for the Ganassi cars. I think probably one of the best for qualifying between all us, which was really good. It was nice just to have a clean weekend, no major issues, no damage, no mess-ups or anything like that. That was a lot of fun.”
The team has proven it’s competitiveness with Palou beating Felix Rosenqvist to the win, while Dixon fended off the Long Beach champion, Kyle Kirkwood, who was hunting him down for P3.
It was also a show of Honda’s dominance with it being a full podium sweep for the engine manufacturer. MSR also has an alliance with CGR.
Dixon was asked about the podium sweep at Long Beach during the post-race press conference and he talked about the fantastic effort put in.
“Yeah, they do a tremendous job. They’re forever working hard. Huge weekend for them here with the Acura Grand Prix, big day yesterday and the day before, as Felix touched on with the poles, race win, obviously today with a podium sweep. Pretty sweet.”
Dixon relatively unimpressed with performance
Regardless of the team performance at the Long Beach GP, Dixon seemed to be missing the feeling of satisfaction as passing was incredibly difficult last Sunday.
“The race itself for us was just a bit blah, to be honest. We kind of sat in the same position, tried to go long. Fuel mileage was really good, which Honda does a great job at. I think everybody is caught up a lot on figuring out what they need.”
Dixon expressed some challenges he experienced during the race. The balance of the car was seemingly difficult while he was also dealing with throttle issues. For a lack of better words, he joked:
“Yeah, interesting day.”
Despite the individual problems he faced in the car, the overall team result outshined the negative. Scott Dixon hopes the team can build off this performance and keep the momentum rolling into the next set of races.
Dixon and Chip Ganassi Racing looking ahead to May
Although each race is just as important as the last, many drivers set their sights on the month of May. The Indianapolis 500 has become known as one of, if not, the biggest race in the world.
Scott Dixon, along with his six IndyCar Series Championship wins, can also say that he is an Indy 500 champion. The New Zealander claimed the victory back in 2008 with Chip Ganassi Racing and has been hunting down another win ever since.
Following his podium in the IndyCar Long Beach race, Dixon was asked how gratifying it was to head into May with his best finish of 2026 so far.
“Yeah, it’s definitely positive. The unfortunate part is you mostly think about the misses. That’s what keeps you going. But yeah, no, big for the team.”
Next up is the Sonsio Grand Prix which takes place on the Indianapolis Road Course. With the dominance of the team and his podium at Long Beach, Dixon and Chip Ganassi Racing seem to be in a strong position heading into May.
“You want to peak at Indy. We’re heading in that direction. I feel good for the team.”
As IndyCar prepares for the Greatest Spectacle in Racing, Dixon is hoping that their peak will come at Indy. After an okay first quarter of the season, it seems imminent that more results, like the ones achieved in Long Beach, are on the way.
