Dixon fast while coping with injury

Four-time IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon spent this past week in the gym working on his strength and conditioning, wearing a bulky, immobilizing walking boot on his left foot after the New Zealander survived a fiery airborne crash on Sunday at the Indy 500. While the full extent of his ankle injury is unknown, the tough Kiwi has not let it impede his performance so far.

Dixon broke in a new chassis after his primary No. 9 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda was destroyed against the inside fence at the Speedway, and after running seventh fastest in the opening practice session on the unforgiving streets of Belle Isle in Detroit, he felt there was more speed to be shown after spinning while on a flying lap.

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"I'm sore, but it's what you figure, and it's good to be back on track," Dixon said. "We had a good lap until I spun. We would have been second until that spin."

One issue that won't be resolved this weekend is the tenderness in Dixon's left ankle, which is used for braking. The hard, sharp braking maneuvers required to slow the car force the 35-year-old to smash his damaged leg into the brake pedal and exert massive pressure multiple times every lap.

Dealing with that pain for a 45-minute practice session is one thing; returning for more sessions, then attacking the course in qualifying and lining up to complete two races this weekend will demand a lot from CGR's team leader.

"It's hard to modulate and feel as much as normal," he said. "I feel like the braking in these things is [where] a lot of the performance [is generated]. Just the first session there trying to get my head wrapped around what I need to do and try to favor [my ankle] a little bit. All in all, it seems not too bad; it's a little achy, but once you're out on track you don't think about it too much."

Dixon also appeared to confirm Camping World, which signed on as primary sponsor for the No. 9 at Indy, will be on the car for the rest of the season.

"It's awesome. Big thanks to Camping World," he said. "It's going to be good to have them for the rest of the season and hopefully we can get a couple of wins for them."

After the session, a CGR representative confirmed talks with Camping World are ongoing, but a sponsorship deal for the remainder of 2017 has yet to be finalized.