Scott Dixon gains 14 positions at IndyCar Barber race; reacts to Alex Palou's 'epic' win

After a torrid qualifying session, Scott Dixon for the Alabama Grand Prix, the Kiwi started 26th in the formation. Putting the underwhelming performance behind him, Dixon was the biggest mover at the Barber Motorsports Park and was happy with his result. He also shared his thoughts on teammate Alex Palou taking another victory under his belt.

The IndyCar grid at the Alabama Grand Prix was seemingly a Chip Ganassi Racing sandwich. While Palou started the race on pole position, Dixon started the race at the opposite pole in 26th.

The 44-year-old had been on the podium multiple times at Barber Motorsports Park, and he had to utilize his racecraft to make mends for the sharp end of the field. Though Scott Dixon was unable to make it into the top-10, he finished the race 12th after gaining 14 positions in an all-green race.

Reflecting on his and the team's outing at the Alabama Grand Prix, Dixon said during the post-race interview:

"We were hoping for some caution, it's definitely frustrating starting 26th, and I think when you've got a field that's so strong right now, to pass 14 cars is really tough. So, we would have loved the caution at some point.

"Kudos obviously to [Alex] Palou for getting another one, three out of the first four races is pretty epic, so huge for the team. Congrats to our team, we were the fastest on the red tire, which was good. It was smooth as far as that went and strategy was right on it... Strong day for us but a 12th position is not great."

Dixon will be hoping for a better few weeks lined up ahead for him as the Indy 500 is on the horizon.

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Scott Dixon talks about how the hybrid engines might affect the Indy 500

Scott Dixon at the NTT IndyCar Series Indianapolis 500 Carb Day - Source: Getty

With the 109th Indy 500 only a few weeks away, 34 drivers had participated in the traditional open test at the IMS in April. Moreover, the Chip Ganassi Racing driver set the fastest time on Day 1 of testing.

This allowed him to get comfortable with the hybrid power unit at the oval track. Dixon talked about how the new engine formula could spice up the Indy 500, as he said (via IndyCar):

"So first time with the hybrid here, which definitely adds some elements to it and makes it pretty interesting. I think it is going to determine a lot race-wise, maybe even for the shootout at the end."

Meanwhile, Alex Palou's win has extended his lead in the championship standings as he has amassed 196 points. On the other hand, with Scott Dixon scoring 18 points for his 12th-place finish, his points total bumps up to 104 points.