Dad's career sacrifice makes Colton Herta realistic about matching Scott Dixon's IndyCar greatness
Andretti Global star Colton Herta was questioned about equaling Scott Dixon's Indy 500 record by former IndyCar driver James Hinchcliffe. The 25-year-old Herta detailed his father's sacrifice as he pondered the possibility of matching Dixon’s greatness.
Scott Dixon is set to break the all-time start record at the Indy 500 later this year at the 109th running of the greatest spectacle in racing. The Chip Ganassi Racing (CGR) driver is currently 44 years old and still performing like he's in his prime. James Hinchcliffe sat down with Colton Herta after the Long Beach Grand Prix to interview the Andretti Global driver.
Hinchcliffe asked Herta whether he sees himself driving as long as Scott Dixon and breaking the records set by the Chip Ganassi Racing driver. The 25-year-old reflected on how his father, Brian Herta, left racing because his priority changed to coaching him, and suggested that he's unsure of what the future holds for him.
The interview was uploaded by NTT IndyCar’s YouTube channel on April 18, as Colton Herta said,
“I hope I can [As long as Dixon's done it at the INDY 500 in terms of starts]. I mean, I want to right now, right? Like, there's a lot of things that happen in life that I haven't experienced yet. Like, for me, a big part of my dad not wanting to drive anymore was he liked going to the go-kart track with me.” (9:53 onwards)
“I don't know. Maybe I feel that way when I have kids. And so it's like a, It's a hard thing to do right now. I don't know if I'll have the drive or passion for it still, I can't see myself burning out of this. But you never know,” he added
Many young drivers on the current grid grew up watching Scott Dixon win the IndyCar championships, and are now competing against the Kiwi driver. Herta was only three years old when Dixon won his first IndyCar championship in 2003.
Alex Palou on Colton Herta's chances of signing with Cadillac F1
The Formula One Management approved Cadillac's entry for the 2026 F1 season. Colton Herta's name popped up as the number one target for the American F1 team. The 25-year-old was rumored to take the F1 seat before Andretti's F1 application was rejected by the FOM.
Nonetheless, with Andretti backing the Cadillac F1 project, Herta is again believed to be in the running for the F1 seat. Three-time IndyCar champion Alex Palou was questioned about the Cadillac F1 seat, and he said,
“I think there's a person [Colton Herta] in the series that is looking very well for that seat, and I'll be pulling for him for sure,” said Palou (via IndyStar)
However, the IndyCar driver only has 32 super license points at the moment and will need 40 to get a super license. Herta needs to finish fourth or higher in the championship to get enough points for the license.