Scott McLaughlin

Born:

June 10 1993

Nationality:

New Zealand

First race:

St. Petersburg, 2020

Races:

Wins:

Race Win %:

8.14%

No.:

Team:

Team Penske

About Scott McLaughlin

Biography

Performance by Circuit Type

Wins

Results

Biography

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.

Setback in 2025

After establishing himself as a title contender in previous years, the New Zealander experienced a downturn in 2025. Like his Team Penske teammates Josef Newgarden and Will Power, he struggled with the car, leading to disappointing results. Unlike his teammates, McLaughlin failed to secure any victories and finished only tenth in the championship.

Performance by Circuit Type

Type	Races	Avg Finish	Wins	Race Win %
Roadcourse	34	9.1471	4	11.76%
Oval	27	8.9259	2	7.41%
Streetcourse	25	14.0800	1	4%

Wins

#	Jaar	Date (ET)	Race	Type
1	2022	February 27	Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg St. Petersburg	Streetcourse
2	2022	July 3	Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Mid-Ohio	Roadcourse
3	2022	September 4	Grand Prix of Portland Portland	Roadcourse
4	2023	April 30	Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix Barber Motorsports Park	Roadcourse
5	2024	April 28	Indy Grand Prix of Alabama Barber Motorsports Park	Roadcourse
6	2024	July 13	Hy-Vee Homefront 250 Iowa Speedway	Oval
7	2024	September 1	Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250s - Race 2 Milwaukee Mile	Oval

Results

Date (ET)	Race	Type	FP
2020
October 25	Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg St. Petersburg	Streetcourse	22

Date (ET)	Race	Type	FP
2021
April 18	Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama Barber Motorsports Park	Roadcourse	14
April 25	Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg St. Petersburg	Streetcourse	11
May 1	Genesys 300 Texas Motor Speedway	Oval	2
May 2	XPEL 375 Texas Motor Speedway	Oval	8
May 15	GMR Grand Prix Indianapolis Road Course	Roadcourse	8
May 30	105th Indianapolis 500 Indianapolis	Oval	20
June 12	Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix - Race 1 Detroit Belle Isle	Streetcourse	19
June 13	Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix - Race 2 Detroit Belle Isle	Streetcourse	20
June 20	REV Group Grand Prix Road America	Roadcourse	14
July 4	Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Mid-Ohio	Roadcourse	12
August 8	Big Machine Music City Grand Prix Nashville	Streetcourse	22
August 14	Big Machine Spiked Coolers Grand Prix Indianapolis Road Course	Roadcourse	23
August 21	Bommarito Automotive Group 500 Gateway	Oval	4
September 12	Grand Prix of Portland Portland	Roadcourse	9
September 19	Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey Laguna Seca	Roadcourse	12
September 26	Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Long Beach	Streetcourse	11

Date (ET)	Race	Type	FP
2022
February 27	Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg St. Petersburg	Streetcourse	1
March 20	XPEL 375 Texas Motor Speedway	Oval	2
April 10	Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Long Beach	Streetcourse	14
May 1	Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama Barber Motorsports Park	Roadcourse	6
May 14	GMR Grand Prix Indianapolis Road Course	Roadcourse	18
May 29	106th Indianapolis 500 Indianapolis	Oval	29
June 5	Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix Detroit Belle Isle	Streetcourse	19
June 12	Sonsio Grand Prix at Road America Road America	Roadcourse	7
July 3	Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Mid-Ohio	Roadcourse	1
July 17	Honda Indy Toronto Toronto	Streetcourse	9
July 23	Hy-VeeDeals.com 250 Iowa Speedway	Oval	22
July 24	Hy-Vee Salute to Farmers 300 Iowa Speedway	Oval	3
July 30	Grand Prix of Indianapolis Indianapolis Road Course	Roadcourse	4
August 7	Big Machine Music City Grand Prix Nashville	Streetcourse	2
August 20	Bommarito Automotive Group 500 Gateway	Oval	3
September 4	Grand Prix of Portland Portland	Roadcourse	1
September 11	Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey Laguna Seca	Roadcourse	6

Date (ET)	Race	Type	FP
2023
March 5	Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg St. Petersburg	Streetcourse	13
April 2	Texas Indy 375 Texas Motor Speedway	Oval	6
April 16	Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Long Beach	Streetcourse	10
April 30	Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix Barber Motorsports Park	Roadcourse	1
May 13	GMR Grand Prix Indianapolis Road Course	Roadcourse	16
May 28	107th Running of the Indianapolis 500 Indianapolis	Oval	14
June 4	Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix Detroit	Streetcourse	7
June 18	Sonsio Grand Prix at Road America Road America	Roadcourse	8
July 2	Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Mid-Ohio	Roadcourse	5
July 16	Honda Indy Toronto Toronto	Streetcourse	6
July 22	Hy-Vee Homefront 250 Iowa Speedway	Oval	2
July 23	Hy-Vee One Step 250 Iowa Speedway	Oval	5
August 6	Big Machine Music City Grand Prix Nashville	Streetcourse	2
August 12	Gallagher Grand Prix Indianapolis Road Course	Roadcourse	8
August 27	Bommarito Automotive Group 500 Gateway	Oval	5
September 3	Bitnile.com Grand Prix of Portland Portland	Roadcourse	9
September 10	Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey Laguna Seca	Roadcourse	2

Date (ET)	Race	Type	FP
2024
March 10	Grand Prix of St. Petersburg St. Petersburg	Streetcourse	27
March 10	Grand Prix of St. Petersburg St. Petersburg	Streetcourse	27
March 24	The Thermal Club $1 Million Challenge The Termal Club	Roadcourse	2
April 21	Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Long Beach	Streetcourse	26
April 28	Indy Grand Prix of Alabama Barber Motorsports Park	Roadcourse	1
May 11	Sonsio Grand Prix Indianapolis Road Course	Roadcourse	6
May 26	108th Running of the Indianapolis 500 Indianapolis	Oval	6
June 2	Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix Detroit	Streetcourse	20
June 9	XPEL Grand Prix at Road America Road America	Roadcourse	3
June 23	Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey Laguna Seca	Roadcourse	21
July 7	Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Mid-Ohio	Roadcourse	3
July 13	Hy-Vee Homefront 250 Iowa Speedway	Oval	1
July 14	Hy-Vee One Step 250 Iowa Speedway	Oval	3
July 21	Honda Indy Toronto Toronto	Streetcourse	16
August 17	Bommarito Automotive Group 500 Gateway	Oval	2
August 25	Grand Prix of Portland Portland	Roadcourse	7
August 31	Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250s - Race 1 Milwaukee Mile	Oval	8
September 1	Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250s - Race 2 Milwaukee Mile	Oval	1
September 15	Big Machine Music City Grand Prix Nashville Superspeedway	Oval	5

Date (ET)	Race	Type	FP
2025
March 2	Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg St. Petersburg	Streetcourse	4
March 23	The Thermal Club IndyCar Grand Prix The Termal Club	Roadcourse	27
April 13	Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Long Beach	Streetcourse	6
May 4	Alabama Indy Grand Prix Barber Motorsports Park	Roadcourse	3
May 10	Sonsio Grand Prix of Indianapolis Indianapolis Road Course	Roadcourse	4
May 25	109th Indianapolis 500 Indianapolis	Oval	30
June 1	Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix Detroit	Streetcourse	12
June 15	Bommarito Automotive Group 500 Gateway	Oval	24
June 22	XPEL Grand Prix at Road America Road America	Roadcourse	12
July 6	Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Mid-Ohio	Roadcourse	23
July 12	Synk 275 Iowa Speedway	Oval	4
July 13	Farm to Finish 275 Iowa Speedway	Oval	26
July 20	Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto Toronto	Streetcourse	26
July 27	Java House Grand Prix of Monterey Laguna Seca	Roadcourse	10
August 10	BitNile.com Grand Prix of Portland Portland	Roadcourse	7
August 24	Snap-on Milwaukee Mile 250 Milwaukee Mile	Oval	3
August 31	Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix Nashville Superspeedway	Oval	3