This is part seven in a 12-part series previewing every team set to compete in the 2019 IndyCar season. I will be previewing two teams per week on Push2Pass leading up to the season opener in St. Petersburg on March 10. Today’s team: Chip Ganassi Racing
One of the most prestigious teams in American Racing is looking to set records again as defending-champ Scott Dixon will aim for his sixth IndyCar title in 2019. Dixon only trails A.J. Foyt and his seven championships on the individual all-time list. Dixon is also one of only six full-time drivers this season who has won the Indy 500 previously, coming all the way back in 2008.
Team owner Chip Ganassi has been running entries in the series since 1990 in CART before transitioning to the IndyCar series in the early 2000s. Ganassi has teams in IndyCar, Nascar and endurance racing, but expanding to other series hasn’t had any negative effects on their immense success. Ganassi has amassed 106 wins and 12 championships since his first win in 1994 with Michael Andretti. He has been the owner for all five of Dixon’s championships and three for Dario Franchitti, and he’s been in the victory circle for four Indy 500 wins.
The team expanded from a traditional two-car team to a massive four-car team in 2011 immediately following Franchitti’s three-straight titles, and the team only moved back to a two-car effort in 2018.
The Drivers
Scott Dixon (#9)
Career: 304 starts, 44 wins, 26 poles, 106 podiums, 219 top-10 finishes
2018: Avg. Qualifying 7.6 (6th), Avg. Finish 4.2 (1st), 1st overall
The New Zealander has had a long and storied history at Ganassi and will be entering his 18th-straight year with the team in 2019. His wins and titles are the top achievement for current drivers, and the 38-year-old will only set more records as his career continues. His five titles have come in a variety of different eras in the series and with multiple different aerokits, proving he’s been very adaptable over his 19-year career.
Dixon only won one race in 2017 but was a runner-up five times, and he may have had a chance to win the title that season if he hadn’t been involved in a massive crash at the Indy 500 that saw him finish 32nd after leading from pole. That was the only race he finished outside of the top-10 during the entire season, and 2018 was similar in his title run.
His average finish of 4.2 was remarkable and was even more impressive considering he didn’t have a great season of qualifying. He finished on the podium at over half of the races last season, with the only scare coming at the penultimate race at Portland. Dixon was involved in a first-lap clash that saw him end up in the sand, but he miraculously was unscathed and got his car moving again to finish fifth. His runner-up finish at Sonoma allowed him to run away with the title by 57 points.
Felix Rosenqvist (#10): IndyCar Rookie
The Swedish driver will aim to give more of a fight to his teammate than Ed Jones did last season. Rosenqvist comes in with a strong background as a winner in a variety of series, including Formula 3, Formula E and Indy Lights. He’s been on the podium in Japan’s Super Formula and Super GT, while also running a few races in endurance racing. Rosenqvist has had success in whatever he’s driven, and Ganassi has been very clear in their joy of finally signing him in the offseason.
Outlook for 2019
The goal for a Ganassi team is always another championship, and the move to two cars last year seems to be an effective one. Andretti still runs four cars and Penske runs three, but Ganassi was able to find their rhythm and clinch Dixon’s first title since 2015. Dixon will undoubtedly be in the title race again in 2019, but getting caught up in a crash or having more mechanical problems could possibly arise after two consecutive seasons of almost seamless racing.
Rosenqvist will have some learning to do in his first time at American tracks in a few seasons, but he did win Indy Lights races at St. Petersburg and Toronto in 2016. Someone who has done well in so many different disciplines should instantly be a contender in races within a team like Ganassi.
The Verdict
Dixon will win multiple races this season and be in contention going into the final race, but I think he will finish runner-up in 2019 for the first time since 2009. Dixon hasn’t finished lower in the final standings than 6th since 2005 and has finished third five times since 2011. Rosenqvist will impress a lot of drivers and fans, and he should finish on a couple of podiums and fight for race wins on street and road courses. It may take a little time to adjust to oval racing, but I expect him to finish eighth in the overall standings and be the Rookie of the Year winner.
Later this week- Preview #8: A.J. Foyt Racing
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