SONOMA, Calif. — On Sunday at Sonoma Raceway, Scott Dixon accomplished something no one in an Indy car had since 1967: win a fifth championship.

With his second-place finish at the Verizon IndyCar Series season finale, the 38-year-old Chip Ganassi Racing star joined the legendary A.J. Foyt as the only drivers to wear an Indy car crown five times.

"What an incredible ride it's been with this guy," team owner Chip Ganassi said to the TV broadcast immediately following the race. "My hat is off to him and the whole team."

Dixon once again put his name among legends in what can only be described as the most Scott Dixon way possible: cool, calm and collected. Starting second in Sunday's race, the "Ice Man" drove flawlessly, taking few chances and making no mistakes en route to a runner-up finish behind eventual race winner Ryan Hunter-Reay.

"This was mega, man, mega," Dixon said in victory lane. "Man this is so awesome. I can't believe this actually happened.

"It's all about the people and I'm the lucky one that gets to take it across the line."

The pressure on Dixon lifted a bit early in the race when his primary championship competitor, Alexander Rossi, started in disaster.

On the first lap, Rossi, 29 points back and desperate to charge up the field from his sixth starting position, rammed into the rear of his Andretti Autosport teammate, Marco Andretti. The crash did a number to his front wing and caused a flat tire, forcing him to pit early.

Despite the early wreckage, the 26-year-old star did all he could to recover. Following a mid-race yellow caused by Graham Rahal, Rossi went on absolute tear up the field. Staring 20th on the restart, Rossi ripped through the field with a series of dazzling maneuvers, climbing as high as fifth place before finishing seventh.

But it was too little, too late. Rossi maxed out what he could accomplish on his grippy red tires and was forced to settle for seventh.

In the end, Dixon finished 57 points ahead of Rossi in the championship.