2019 Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg: 3 IndyCar takeaways

Scott Dixon’s title defense is off to a good start

Speaking of Scott Dixon, can IndyCar fans take a step back and appreciate how much of a Dixon-like weekend that the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda driver just had?

Okay, so Dixon didn’t win at St. Petersburg, after what’s now a decade and a half of trying. But for all the talk about how he’s never successfully defended one of his five IndyCar championships, he’s put himself in a pretty good position to repeat as he starts off the 2019 IndyCar season. Dixon’s special power is to make something out of seemingly nothing, and that was on full display during the Firestone Grand Prix.

First, he had a rare slip-up in qualifying that saw him spin his car and not get out of the first round. But fate smiled on Dixon once again and when Takuma Sato was penalized for interference, the No. 9 got through to the second round — a lucky break that Dixon took advantage of to make it all the way to a fourth-place starting position.

Once race day arrived, the defending champion did what he always does: Drive consistently and without much fanfare. Though he never led a lap, Dixon stayed toward the front of the field during the entire race, keeping his nose clean and keeping some talented folks behind him. That led him to a comfortable runner-up finish. Not bad for a guy who should’ve been starting this race near the back, and another reminder that IndyCar enthusiasts should never count Dixon out.

The next race is the 2019 IndyCar Classic at Circuit of the Americas on March 24. For full coverage of the 2019 IndyCar season, follow the IndyCar category at FanSided.