IndyCar News: Just Call Him 'Sir' Scott Dixon

On a quiet New Year’s Eve in 2025, an email pinged into Scott Dixon’s inbox that nearly ended up in the spam folder. “New Year’s Honors,” it read. The six-time IndyCar champion and New Zealand racing icon thought it had to be a hoax. “That was kind of crazy,” Dixon later admitted with his trademark humility. “Totally out of the blue—I didn’t even know if the email was legit.”

–by Mark Cipolloni–

But it was very real. As the clock struck midnight into 2026, Dixon was officially knighted in New Zealand’s New Year Honors List, earning the title Sir Scott Dixon for his extraordinary services to motorsport.

Born in Australia but raised in New Zealand, Dixon chased the American dream in 1998, crossing the Pacific to compete in America’s premier open-wheel series. What followed was two decades of dominance: 59 race wins, six championships, and that unforgettable 2008 Indianapolis 500 victory that cemented his legend. Now, at 45 (turning 46 in July), he’s just one title shy of tying A.J. Foyt’s all-time record of seven—and after finishing third in the 2025 standings with a win, no one is betting against him adding to the tally in 2026.

Scott Dixon, 2008 Indy 500 winner. Image courtesy of Penske Entertainment

IndyCar fans already know Dixon as one of the greatest ever, a master of fuel strategy, tire management, and ice-cool precision on ovals where speeds push the limits of human and machine. But now, track announcers will have a new prefix: “Sir Scott Dixon.”

He wasn’t alone in the motorsport honors. Track owner and philanthropist Tony Quinn—whose foundation has helped launch careers like F1’s Liam Lawson—and veteran official Brian Rex Davies, with over 50 years keeping races safe, also received recognition.

Motorsport New Zealand President Deborah Day captured the moment perfectly: “Sir Scott Dixon represents the very pinnacle of international success and inspiration.”

From a wide-eyed Kiwi kid to a knighted global superstar, Dixon’s journey is the stuff of racing dreams. Whether he claims that elusive seventh crown or not, one thing is certain: from here on out, just call him Sir Scott Dixon. The title fits a true champion.