"I wouldn't be here today without him" - Alex Palou shares heartfelt gratitude for IndyCar legend Scott Dixon

Alex Palou has been the most dominant force in IndyCar in recent times, having won three championships in the last four seasons. He goes into the 2025 season as the title favorite yet again. The Chip Ganassi Racing driver has humbly credited his legendary 6-time champion teammate Scott Dixon for such success.

In an interview with WISH-TV, Palou opened up on Dixon's influence on his career. He said:

"I wouldn’t be here today without him. A big part of my success is because of him."

Alex Palou has been teammates with Scott Dixon since joining Chip Ganassi Racing in 2021. In his very first year with the team, he won the championship and has outperformed his New Zealand teammate in all seasons but 2022. In 2025, Palou is eyeing a third consecutive title to join an elite club of only three other drivers to have achieved the feat - Ted Horn (1946-48), Sebastien Bourdais (2004-07), and Dario Franchitti (2009-11).

In IndyCar's two-day preseason test at Sebring on February 17 and 18, Alex Palou finished in 7th place among 27 drivers and Scott Dixon placed 13th.

Alex Palou selflessly wishes for Scott Dixon to win the 2025 Indy 500

AUTO: AUG 15 NTT IndyCar Series Bommarito Automotive Group 500 - Source: Getty

By the numbers, Scott Dixon is the second-most successful IndyCar driver with six championships to retired legend AJ Foyt's seven. However, he only has one Indy 500 victory to his name, whereas more non-champions have won the iconic race more than once.

For 2025, his Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Alex Palou, who hasn't won the race yet, is ready to symbolically sacrifice his chances and hope for Dixon to conquer the "Greatest Spectacle of Racing" for a second time. In a video posted by IndyCar earlier this month, the defending champ made his prediction for the 109th running of the Indy 500, saying:

"Scott Dixon is going to win his second Indy 500. It's not that I don't want to win it. I would love to win it and there's nothing else I would love more from now until May, but it's gonna be his 400th start, at the Indy 500. So something's gonna happen, and he's gonna win, and he's gonna deserve it."

There's only one correction to be made in Alex Palou's prediction, which is the 400th-start figure. Dixon will record his 408th race start at the Indy 500 on May 25 provided he starts all the races before it. This will take him beyond IndyCar legend Mario Andretti (407 starts) on the all-time race starts list.

The No. 9 CGR Honda driver won his first and only Indy 500 in 2008. He started on pole position and ensured he finished equally well. He took pole at the prestigious race four more times (2015, 201, 2021, and 2022), but a P4 in the first instance was his best result.