Racing legend's ominous threat to young rival

IndyCar's Ice Man hasn't rather cooled disconnected aft a confrontation astir 2 months ago. 

After Pato O'Ward made a forceful walk connected Scott Dixon astatine the Grand Prix of Long Beach, the six-time champion coiled up buried successful a tyre wall.

Dixon, understandably, was nary excessively blessed having had his chances of a beardown decorativeness dashed.

Stan Sport is the lone spot to ticker the 2023 IndyCar Series, featuring Will Power, Scott McLaughlin and Scott Dixon. All the enactment streaming advertisement free, unrecorded and connected demand

He returned to the contention but suffered an motor nonaccomplishment aboriginal on. It marked the archetypal DNF for Dixon astatine the famed thoroughfare circuit since 2012.

Scott Dixon claimed 4th astatine Road America. (James Black via IndyCar)

The Kiwi blasted officials for not taking immoderate enactment against the young Mexican driver, suggesting it was "gloves off" thereafter.

For the archetypal clip since that incident, Dixon recovered himself successful a presumption to situation O'Ward and nonstop his revenge astatine the astir caller IndyCar contention astatine Road America.

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However, the six-time champion withheld immoderate retaliation. O'Ward went connected to decorativeness 3rd conscionable up of Dixon.

Asked whether helium was consenting to instrumentality an elbows-out attack to taking the place, Dixon said it wasn't the close clip – suggesting a effect is yet to come.

"That time volition come, we'll see, but I deliberation there's a clip and a spot for it," said Dixon.

Scott Dixon sits adjacent 4th successful the IndyCar Series drivers' championship. (Joe Skibinski via IndyCar)

"We were trying to get adjacent and helium had much OT (overtake push-to-pass allocation) than us. 

"It is what it is. For the astir part, we tried to contention arsenic cleanly arsenic imaginable depending connected erstwhile it comes down to."

Outside his rogue DNF, Dixon has been ultra-consistent successful 2023.

From 7 of the 8 races to date, the bid seasoned has finished nary little than seventh.

He has 4 apical 5 finishes but a triumph is yet to beryllium forthcoming.

His thrust to 4th astatine Road America came after a monumental clang successful signifier with Australia's Will Power that wrecked some cars. 

"Obviously conscionable 1 spot distant from a podium, which would person been nice," said Dixon, who started the contention from 23rd.

"It was decidedly a time erstwhile you needed driveability to look aft those (tyres) and besides substance mileage."

While Dixon finished conscionable shy of the podium, teammate Alex Palou scored his 3rd triumph of the play to found himself arsenic the rubric favourite.

The Spaniard has much than a contention win's worthy of points implicit stablemate Marcus Ericsson – the brace connected 324 and 250 points respectively.

Ironically, Dixon is level with O'Ward successful the standings successful 4th with some drivers connected 226 points.

"Congrats to (Palou), he's having a hellhole of a title close present and decidedly got a large pb going on," said Dixon. 

"It's clip to get to enactment to spot if we each tin commencement closing that gap."

The IndyCar Series returns connected July 2-3 astatine the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, an lawsuit that Dixon has won six times antecedently making him the astir palmy progressive operator there.

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