IndyCar insiders tip 'Iceman' Scott Dixon for big comeback at Thermal Club IndyCar GP after St. Pete disappointment

IndyCar insiders have chosen Scott Dixon as their pick to win the inaugural Thermal Club IndyCar Grand Prix. The six-time champion suffered an unusual radio issue at the season opener in St. Petersburg, which cost him the race win to teammate Alex Palou.

Dixon started the race in P6. Very early on, he lost radio communication with his No. 9 Chip Ganassi Racing team and was on his own for most of the 100-lap race. He had to design his own race strategy, and he relied on the fuel gauge to decide when to pit. Despite the added challenge, the 44-year-old gained four places to finish runner-up to Palou on the podium.

The upcoming race at the Thermal Club is the first time all drivers will race on it for a full-length event, unlike last year's 20-lap exhibition race there. IndyCar insider Curt Cavin has predicted Scott Dixon's elite race management skills will help him pip his rivals.

"If not Alex Palou, this feels like a Scott Dixon event given the role tire management and pit strategy figure to play. Plus, this is effectively a new event given that last year’s non-points outing was not much more than a series of 10-lap sprints," he wrote for IndyCar.

Cavin elaborated on Dixon's St. Pete setback and also how he'd be looking to avenge getting knocked out before the All-Star race at Thermal in 2024 - the $1 million challenge.

"Dixon is surely still smarting over what happened in the season-opening race in St. Petersburg, when a lack of radio communication with his Chip Ganassi Racing crew allowed Palou to undercut him on the final pit stop for the lead and the win. Dixon also hasn’t forgotten that this trip to Southern California was one of his worst outings last year, so count on him to be on point this weekend," he added.

Fellow IndyCar insider Paul Kelly seconded Cavin's stance, explaining how "Iceman" Scott Dixon would "deftly" outclass all other drivers in the strategy department.

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Scott Dixon was "flying blind" after losing radio communication with Chip Ganassi Racing at St. Petersburg

Scott Dixon at the Rolex 24 at Daytona - Source: Getty

After finishing three seconds behind Alex Palou to secure P2 at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, Scott Dixon explained how a radio-less race cost him the victory. The main snag came during his third and final pit stop window.

CGR tried to call him in for a tire change on lap 72, but because he had no radio comms, he judged the strategy by looking at his fuel gauge and pitted one lap later. Consequently, Dixon lost crucial time in traffic.

"It was frustrating. We had no radio. So kind of just flying blind out there. Ultimately, I think they were trying to call me in, because the last lap we had before we pit, there was so much traffic and we lost 2 or 3 seconds. Definitely frustrating. I think we had the speed, the pit stops were fantastic... would've been nicer to have the radio to know what was going out there. But Kudos to the 10-Car. But frustrated man, I thought we really had that one, and we came up short," he said on the live broadcast post-race.

Palou, who pitted on lap 72, got the undercut advantage and won the IndyCar race at St. Petersburg for the first time in his career, that too, having started from P8.