drivers
Scott McLaughlin
Born:
June 10 1993
Nationality:
New Zealand
First race:
St. Petersburg, 2020
Races:
86
Wins:
7
Race Win %:
8.14%
No.:
3
Team:
About Scott McLaughlin
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
2020 |
|||
| Date (ET) | Race | Type | FP |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 25 | Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg St. Petersburg |
Streetcourse | 22 |
2021 |
|||
| Date (ET) | Race | Type | FP |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
2022 |
|||
| Date (ET) | Race | Type | FP |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
2023 |
|||
| Date (ET) | Race | Type | FP |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
2024 |
|||
| Date (ET) | Race | Type | FP |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
2025 |
|||
| Date (ET) | Race | Type | FP |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |