Reigning Supercars champion Scott McLaughlin will be contesting his first NTT IndyCar series race this weekend and he expects it to be the toughest challenge he’s yet faced in his career.
The 27-year-old tested an IndyCar a couple times at the start of this year and had plans to drive for Team Penske in one or two races this season, but the ongoing pandemic delayed his plans by a few months.
But now he is able to take on the new challenges that a full race weekend presents and hopes to do well enough on the streets of St. Petersburg to secure a full-time offer for the 2021 season.
“I’m fully expecting this will be the toughest challenge of my career,” said three-times Supercars champion McLaughlin, who flew straight to the United States from Australia after his Supercars duties at the weekend. “But I’m looking forward to it.
“[IndyCar] is one of the most competitive series, if not the most competitive series, in the world.
“I just want to do every lap I can, do every pit stop I can. It’s a massive learning thing. I’ll go there, I’ll drive the car as fast as I can within my comfort level, which my comfort level will be a lot lower than some.
“I’m just going to go in like a sponge, soak everything up, see what comes out of it. I’m pretty confident that I’m going to like the series, I’m going to like the cars, I’m going to like everything.
“It’s a fresh start with being in an open-wheeler, very different to what I’ve had before. It’s a different experience. If I’ve got the opportunity to be able to do it, I’ve got to grab it with both hands.”
McLaughlin will be drive a fourth Team Penske car around Florida’s streets, linking up with champions Simon Pagenaud, Will Power, and title contender Josef Newgarden.
An added bonus is that the field of drivers will be given two hours of practice time in addition to a qualifying session in order to give the New Zealander time to get a feel for the car.
McLaughlin will get to see the temporary course at St. Petersburg on Friday morning, at 10:55 EDT, followed by qualifying four hours later.
