Scott McLaughlin

McLaughlin’s Path to IndyCar Goes Through Touring Cars

Scott McLaughlin began his career, like many other drivers, in karting. He quickly made the switch to touring cars, which proved to be a great move for the New Zealander. In 2012, at just 19 years old, McLaughlin won both the V8 SuperTourers Championship and the Dunlop V8 Supercar Series in Australia.

That same year, McLaughlin made his debut in the renowned and highly competitive Virgin Australia Supercars Championship, where he drove several races for Tekno Autosports and Garry Rogers Motorsport. His best result was a sixth place at the Bathurst 1000. A year later, the New Zealander claimed his first win in the Australian Supercars Championship at Pukekohe Park Raceway in his homeland.

From 2017 to 2020, McLaughlin drove for DJR Team Penske in the top class of Australian touring car racing. After finishing second in his first year with the team, he convincingly won the title in 2018, 2019, and 2020. Despite his many successes in Australian touring cars, the young racing talent was always clear about his dream: he ultimately wanted to race in the United States.

The Move to the IndyCar Series

Roger Penske decided to give McLaughlin a chance to test an IndyCar in January 2020. The New Zealander made an immediate impression, prompting Penske to have McLaughlin participate in the open tests at Circuit of The Americas in February. This opportunity came at the expense of Hélio Castroneves, who was originally scheduled to drive during those test days. A week before the tests at the circuit in Austin, Texas, Penske announced that Scott McLaughlin would make his NTT IndyCar Series debut later that season.

McLaughlin made his debut during the season finale on the streets of St. Petersburg. The New Zealander left a decent impression: he finished the practice session before qualifying in tenth place. However, in the qualifying session itself, he struggled and ended up 21st. During the race, things seemed to be going reasonably well for McLaughlin until he was forced to retire on lap 47 following an incident in the first turn.

Full-Time IndyCar Debut and Breakthrough

In 2021, Scott McLaughlin made his full-time IndyCar debut with Team Penske and finished 14th in the overall standings, earning the Rookie of the Year title as the best debutant. His best result was a second-place finish in the first race at Texas Motor Speedway. Following his strong debut season, 2022 became his breakthrough year: he won three races and finished fourth in the championship.

In 2023, McLaughlin established himself as a consistent frontrunner in the IndyCar field, though he only won one race that year. Thanks to steady performances (he finished outside the top ten only three times), he ended the season third in the championship, ahead of teammates Josef Newgarden and Will Power. In 2024, McLaughlin again finished third in the championship for the second consecutive year, but due to a disqualification in St. Petersburg, he couldn't contend for the title.