DAYTONA BEACH, Fla – Scott Dixon is eyeballing a potential Daytona 500 entry in the future, the six-time champion told Frontstretch on Saturday (Feb. 15) afternoon at Daytona International Speedway.
Frontstretch caught up with the New Zealander at the Legacy Motor Club hauler in the NASCAR Cup Series garage and asked him about potential interest in the Great American Race.
“There’s always a chance,” Dixon told Frontstretch. “Jimmie [Johnson] and I were actually talking about it this morning. Obviously, there’s lots of things we have to figure out, but we’ll try to figure something out.”
Dixon was teammates with the Legacy Motor Club team owner and seven-time Cup Series champion during the 2022 NTT IndyCar Series season at Ganassi Racing. He was visiting his racing legend friend during final Daytona 500 practice.
“I’m excited to be back here and cheering on Jimmie and a few other friends I’ve got here,” Dixon said. “It’s been about 10 years since I’ve last been here since the last time I’ve been to the [Daytona] 500. It feels weird, being here for the [Rolex] 24 a few weeks ago. It’s definitely a very different scene and group.”
Dixon has never made a NASCAR-sanctioned start and has one total start at Daytona. He finished eighth in the 2004 International Race of Champions race held here.
The 44-year-old open-wheel racer is a six-time IndyCar champion and 2008 Indy 500 winner. He’ll run full-time for Ganassi in the IndyCar Series again in 2025.
“We’ll try and figure something out” – @scottdixon9 eyeballing Daytona 500 entry. #IndyCar #NASCAR
— Frontstretch (@Frontstretch) February 15, 2025
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Dalton Hopkins began writing for Frontstretch in April 2021. Currently, he is the lead writer for the weekly Thinkin' Out Loudcolumn, co-host of the Happy Hour podcast, and one of our lead reporters. Beforehand, he wrote for IMSA shortly after graduating from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in 2019. Simultaneously, he also serves as a Captain in the US Army.
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That’s all good if he does it the right way by earning his spot rather than doing it the Castroneves way, just showing up and saying, “I’m here, experience or not, and I’m in.”
One question; Why? Surely he doesn’t need the money. He’s made his name in Indycar, and that’s fine. A one-off late career start in NA$CAR does nothing for his legacy. I guess if it’s something he’s always wanted to do, but I don’t recall ever hearing about him being interested in it before?