--- title: "McLaren Tapped IndyCar Champ Scott Dixon for Possible 2019 Ride: Report" description: "Not many details regarding a possible team partnership or a future teammate have been revealed." date: "2018-06-25" modified: "2018-06-25" authors: - name: "Jerry Perez" job_title: "Deputy Editor" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/jerry-perez" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/accelerator/21739/mclaren-tapped-indycar-champ-scott-dixon-for-possible-2019-ride-report" categories: - "McLaren News" - "News" - "News by Brand" - "Racing" tags: - "indycar" - "Indycar Series" - "mclaren" - "racing" - "Racing News" - "Rumors" - "Scott Dixon" - "zak brown" --- # McLaren Tapped IndyCar Champ Scott Dixon for Possible 2019 Ride: Report ![]() *\www.thedrive.com\* Four-time IndyCar champ and Chip Ganassi star driver Scott Dixon has confirmed that McLaren reached out to him with the hopes of adding him to the driver lineup of its potential [2019 IndyCar program](). Dixon released this bit of information to [*Autoweek*]() over the weekend at the IndyCar Kohler Grand Prix at [Road America]() in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, where he managed to finish in third place after starting down the field in the eighth position. ![message-editor%2F1529934247749-jgs\_2018-detroit-126318-1.jpg]() *Scott Dixon wins in Detroit., *IndyCar** “We constantly talk to other people, but it’s not in a situation where we are shopping around or looking to move,” Dixon told *Autoweek*. “A lot of these scenarios, I have known these people for over 15 years." Considering the New Zealander's current season, where he is in strong contention to win a fifth championship, it's easy to see why someone like Zak Brown, McLaren Racing CEO, would be interested in hiring him. No details on whether McLaren would be partnering up with an [existing IndyCar team]() or putting on its own show were revealed by Dixon. No comments were made regarding a possible teammate, either. ![message-editor%2F1529934269245-gettyimages-936063260.jpg]() *Zak Brown and McLaren's Eric Boullier have been seen at several IndyCar races., *GETTY** "I have known Zak since 1999 when he was running ‘Track Attack,’ so I have known the guy for a long time," added Dixon in the same conversation. “I speak to him on a frequent basis, but that has been the same for many years.” The contract between Dixon and Ganassi expires at the end of the 2018 racing season. In addition, Dixon is [IndyCar's winningest active driver]() with a total of 43 wins under his belt, with 42 of them being with the Ganassi outfit. Despite his long stint at the wheel of an IndyCar, Dixon is still as victory-hungry as he was in his younger years, if not more. The last three wins of his career have come this year, with stunning victories in Detroit and Texas, two races known for being grueling mentally and physically. Dixon's 2008 Indy 500 win is simply the cherry on top of his racing resume. *The Drive* reached out to [Ganassi Racing]() for more details on the McLaren-Dixon interaction, but the response we received was even more puzzling. We've reached out for clarification. "We don’t have any comment as those are simply rumors that have been around for a while now," said a team spokesperson via email. ## Author Jerry is responsible for upholding The Drive's ethos as an audience-first, enthusiast-driven car blog that serves up industry-leading news, reviews, culture, and motorsport coverage. Overseeing a staff of writers and editors from his home base in Indianapolis, he helps curate the site's daily rundown, as well as its medium- and long-term content strategies. Jerry joined The Drive in 2018 as a writer and worked as news editor and managing editor before becoming the deputy in 2023. As a lifelong car enthusiast and racing fan, Jerry believes that all cars are cool, but the people behind the machines are even cooler. This belief often gives The Drive a slightly different focus from most other car sites, where we explore the humanity behind the machines. When he's not obsessing over the day's biggest stories or hanging out at a race track, Jerry can be found behind the wheel of a car, most likely sharing a laugh with his teenage son or daughter. ### Author social links [Instagram]()