LEXINGTON, Ohio (AP) — Six-time IndyCar champion Scott Dixon is ending a remarkable run with Chip Ganassi Racing.
Owner Chip Ganassi announced Thursday that Dixon recently informed the team he would not return in 2027.
“Scott has meant so much to CGR over the past 24 years,” Ganassi said. “Together we’ve shared championships, many victories and countless moments that have helped define this organization."
Ganassi said he believed the 45-year-old Dixon’s contract gave him an opportunity to end his career with the team.
“We respect that he’s chosen a different path and wish him nothing but continued success,” Ganassi said. “Scott will always be a special part of this team’s history, and we’re grateful for everything we’ve accomplished together.”
Dixon, who won the 2008 Indianapolis 500, is the defending champion at IndyCar's next race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on Sunday. He is 10th in points this season with one top-five finish.
“Our focus now is on finishing this season strong with the No. 9 PNC team while also preparing for the future at Chip Ganassi Racing," Ganassi said.
Dixon won karting titles in Australia and New Zealand before moving to the United States where he raced in Indy Lights and CART series before moving to IndyCar in 2003.
He won series championships in 2003, 2008, 2013, 2015, 2018 and 2020 and has 59 career victories, trailing only A.J. Foyt.
Dixon was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2024 and was awarded a knighthood last December in New Zealand. He was born in Australia to New Zealand-born parents who later returned to live in Auckland.
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FILE - Chip Ganassi Racing driver Scott Dixon races during the IndyCar Grand Prix of Long Beach auto race April 21, 2024, in Long Beach, Calif. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun, File)
FILE - From left, second placed Marcus Ericsson, first placed Scott Dixon, and third placed Marcus Armstrong celebrate after the IndyCar Detroit Grand Prix auto race in Detroit, June 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)
FILE - Scott Dixon, left, stands next to Chip Ganassi before the start an IndyCar auto race at World Wide Technology Raceway on Aug. 21, 2021, in Madison, Ill. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File)
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Heat as oppressive as British colonial rule is bearing down on the eastern U.S. heading into the long Fourth of July weekend, prompting some communities to cancel, postpone or otherwise alter their Independence Day plans.
Dangerous, record-breaking heat will continue across much of the central and eastern U.S. through Friday and will continue along the East Coast through the weekend, the National Weather Service said Thursday. Temperatures in the high 90s Fahrenheit (30 degrees Celsius) were forecast for the Northeast; Philadelphia and Boston could top 100. Humidity is expected to make it feel even hotter, all but ensuring that sweat will dampen spirits at many celebrations marking 250 years of American independence.
“Anywhere you go in southern New England, you will be dealing with dangerous heat today, tomorrow and Saturday,” said Bryce Williams, a meteorologist with the weather service.
In Boston, entrance to the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular will start at 4 p.m. instead of noon on Saturday because of the heat. In Philadelphia, officials shortened the route of a Thursday morning parade, canceled an afternoon all-American Block Party back the start times of an evening picnic and concert at Independence Mall.
In Lower Windsor Township, Pennsylvania, an America 250 celebration including food trucks, games and the highway department's dump truck has been rescheduled for July 8. In Norristown, Pennsylvania, officials canceled a parade set for Saturday, citing the safety of residents, participants and first responders, though evening fireworks and an afternoon party featuring games, food, and music will go on as scheduled.
“The parade is one of our community’s most beloved traditions, and we share in the disappointment of its cancellation, especially as we celebrate America’s 250th birthday,” Interim Municipal Administrator Jayne Musonye said.
Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania moved outdoor events indoors. Amtrak, meanwhile, canceled some train routes due to the heat Thursday, including the Acela between Boston and Washington, and said others may operate with reduced speeds resulting in delays through Saturday.
A heat dome — high-pressure systems above a region that trap heat and humidity — has been smothering parts of the U.S., from the Midwest to the East Coast. Beyond the holiday festivities, officials in many communities are taking steps to keep residents safe, including opening cooling centers. In Boston, several air-conditioned museums are offering free admission to city residents, and in Providence, Rhode Island, city pools and waterparks have extended their hours.
As the heat bore down on New York, Mayor Zohran Mamdani urged people conserve energy by setting their air conditionings to 78 degrees — a step previous mayors, including former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, have advised — in order to avoid stressing the power grid. Nevertheless, the request drew a round of jeers from the Democratic mayor’s conservative critics online.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican who pokes at the mayor often on social media, responded on X “Is this what was meant by the warmth of collectivism?,” spinning a phrase the democratic socialist employed in his inaugural address back at Mamdani.
The operators of the electric grids in New York state, New England and one stretching across 13 mid-Atlantic and midwestern states all projected that electricity demand would peak on Thursday before falling back slightly on Friday. They have not issued emergency calls to reduce consumption, however, and industry analysts say system planners prepare for such circumstances.
PJM Interconnection, which operates the grid that serves 65 million people from New Jersey to Illinois, said Thursday’s projected peak would set an all-time high for summer electricity demand, last set in 2006. That peak is well above what PJM had projected it would see this summer, but it said it had a cushion of energy capacity above that peak.
Associated Press writer Anthony Izaguirre in New York, Michael Casey in Boston and Marc Levy in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, contributed to this report.
A man wipes sweat off of his head while attending the Great American State Fair, on the National Mall, Wednesday, July 1, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Visitors and members of the National Guard rest in the shade of a tent while attending the Great American State Fair on the National Mall, Wednesday, July 1, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nathan Howard)
Mickelina Papotto, of Salem, Ore., left, and Lorie Odegaard, of Gaithersburg, Md., fan themselves while waiting in line for the ferris wheel at the Great American State Fair on the National Mall, Wednesday, July 1, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
