Born Racer

Ladies and gentlemen, on your feet.

The whole list of drivers for the Indianapolis 500-mile race.

We don't turn up to just do a job.

We turn up to win and, you know, win as many races as we can.

And you know, win as many championships, 500's, whatever it is.

You know, that's what it's all about, you know, is just winning.

That's why I do it.

We just don't talk about the dangers, really.

It's, like, we just don't.

I'd like to sometimes, but I don't want to put that into his head either.

I've married a guy that,

unless he's going really fast, he doesn't feel alive.

He feels euphoric when he's chancing death.

232.595 on the lap speed for Scott Dixon.

Yeah!Yeah, baby.

This is an incredible start for Scott Dixon.

One and a half to go for Chip Ganassi,

watching his driver, Scott Dixon.

Such a disciplined driver.

Another in the 232's.

And the roar of the crowd.

That was perfection.

Checkered flag for Scott Dixon.

And a new number to the top of the board.

232.164 miles an hour

for four laps around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Scott Dixon records the fastest speed in over 20 years.

Congratulations. The good news is you didn't have to wait long.

Mate. Sweet. Chip Ganassi comes up, gives him congratulations.

They have got the pole here for the 101st running of the Indy 500.

I got to ask, how does it feel?It feels, uh...

You did it, bro.

Nice job, buddy. Nice job.

...Dixon's garage. The garage is now open.

The garage is now open.

Ready to roll. Ready to roll.

Start pressuring them.

Check the pressures on me babies.

5:15.

What will we know in 12 hours?

...performance come off the tires...

Hours before the race, I've already switched off from the family life

and just totally focused and thinking about only racing.

When I start to get nervous or anxious about the race,

I typically get quite quiet.

Uh, I don't talk to too many people.

And it's-- it's just, you know, thinking about a lot of things.

I've been with this team for 16 years. So they're like family.

Like, I've known these people for a long time, maybe longer than some of my best friends.

You know, you need a lot of confidence in motor racing,

especially in the people that you're working with that,

you know, the cars are safe, they're gonna be mechanically sound.

And, in a lot of ways, you are putting your life in their hands.

We're good to fire up here, TK?

Radio check, Scott.

10-4. Loud and clear.

If you're a driver, it is not all about you.

You may be the focus, but the great thing is, I think Scott's aware...

that it's not just about him.

And without all those people backing him up, not gonna happen.

He is the glue of the team.

The team revolves around Scott.

When you're driving a racing car, it's all about balance.

You know, everybody talks about balance.

And that's the front rear end sliding a bit more than the other.

And Scott will set the car up so the rear is sliding.

He loves the rear of the car sliding.

He-He loves that, sort of, right on the edge feeling with-with the car.

It gives the team such a lift to watch him do that.

You know you've got a guy there that can do the exceptional.

All right, everybody here?

Okay. Good Morning.

Between now and, uh, the checkered flag, I'd like everybody to focus on one thing,

and one thing only-- winning this race.

Put everything else outside of your mind,

everything we have to do to win this race today.

Yeah. Thanks.

Can I help you with that? Yeah.

It's always something simple, Kate.We're still figuring it out.

What did you do, Kate?

I'm here to help you, Kate.What did you do?

We got it all the way on the back.

Race has been part of my life since birth.

It's always been in my family.

When you start to make it more than a passion, more than a hobby,

when you start making it a career or a lifestyle permanently...

you pursue perfection.

It's a bizarre phenomenon that-- that human beings want to compete constantly

and prove that they're the best or just master whatever is in their path.

It's easy to say you pursue winning, but winning doesn't happen all the time.

It's few and far between.

It's extremely difficult and takes a mass of dedication, sacrifice and timing.

Drop it down a little.

Oh, there it is. Yeah. See? Seven.

I feel the same way I do about him as I did about Mario and Ayrton.

You always do your job a hundred percent for the driver you're working for.

But with Scotty, I feel that little bit of extra motivation,

because he's got that little bit extra going for him.

And so you want to give everything and then some, you know?

And it was the same feeling I had with Mario and with Ayrton, you know?

You knew you were dealing with a special guy.

I think globally the Indy 500 is a significant event.

Winning it multiple times defines who you are.

I think it changes the driver's career.

That one day will change that driver for ever.

Every time you get into that car, you don't know if you're gonna come out.

You don't know if you're gonna come out alive.

You don't know if you're gonna come out in one piece.

You don't know that, but you don't think about it.

You think about the job that you want to do.

You want to be the best, you want to do your best.

You have to face death.

Two of my closest friends that,

you know, had the most beautiful men that were plucked,

um, out of the sport, and sometimes I do go into the race,

I am, like, you know, "Oh, I don't want it to be my turn."

Hey, good luck today.

Oh, they're racing now. Into the first corner,

the 35 car, the Mount Wellington driver, there he goes,

Scott Dixon takes the lead. Second place...

Every night before a race,

before I go to sleep, I text him, say,

"Have a good race. Be safe."

He's still my little boy and...

it does, it worries me,

but I am more relaxed.

I think, because...

he's so confident about his driving,

I don't worry as-as much.

I-I can relax.

What's the long-term aim? Starting off in Formula B?

Um, go to Ford, then get graded for my license, hopefully again,

and go to Atlantic, and hopefully Indy cars or something.

I'm normally pretty quiet at this time

and just taking in a lot of information.

That's kind of the most comfortable part is,

you know, once you get in the car, you're belted in

and you just start to get into the zone.

You kind of have that eerie silence before the engines start.

We try very hard to live in the moment,

because I am scared that one day, you know, it's my turn.

And that's what I have to live with as well.

We're green!

In these speeds, you know, 400 feet per second...

almost a football field every second...

the cars are inches apart,

so literally, way faster than you can react.

You're adjusting your steering, making corrections faster than you can think.

You're not thinking about turning the wheel,

and if you have to think about, then it's too late.

Uh, up top right there. Stop! Stop! Ooh!

I heard the spotter scream something at Scott,

and then... it went silent.

Is he all right?

You look up at the telemetry screen, if you're not already,

and you see a lot of things on the telemetry that are not normal.

Uh, up top right there. Stop! Stop! Ooh!

The car goes in the air, the RPM goes up, the steering goes crazy.

But the speed is not doing what it should.

All those squiggles, they speak to us as engineers.

We know, ooh, the steering shouldn't look like that.

It's almost like you're outside of yourself looking down,

because everything is happening faster than you want it to.

But it seems slow, 'cause it all just slows down in your mind.

At those speeds...

you know that...

it's not gonna end well.

But those-those moments, agonizingly long.

What a huge crash.

Agonizingly long.

Scott Dixon is in it.

Jay Howard is the other car involved.

Dixon and Jay Howard. There is Dixon.

Look at that car. It is destroyed.

There's nothing left of the back. That sawed the engine in half.

Well, I think it affects the entire team.

Because this is a people business. We are people.

We love each other. We support each other.

We eat, sleep, and travel together.

You lose family members in this deal.

Huh?I honestly thought that was my turn.

Yeah?

After Susie.

Hi, everybody.

Saw he was gonna hit the wall, but I thought it'd be a little bit later.

That's why I chose left.

Um, tried to slow the car down as much as possible, but just wasn't to be.

And Scott Dixon already thinking about next year.

Yeah. Yeah.Yep. Yep.

Glad to see you walking out of there.