After spending the last four years moving up the ranks in the NTT IndyCar Series, Scott McLaughlin finds himself in a similar situation that led to three consecutive Australian Supercars championships.
The New Zealand native’s first challenge in professional motorsports saw him competing in Australia’s top touring car category for eight seasons starting in 2013.
McLaughlin’s first few years were spent slowly improving his craft, and it took until his fourth season before he could nail down all the nuances of the series and take victories with regularity.
Once he did so, however, he went on a dominant streak that saw him impressively win three consecutive championships starting in 2018 while driving for DJR Team Penske.
A similar pattern has played out during his time in IndyCar, and McLaughlin has been gradually improving with each successive year.
Last year, he found victory lane on a couple ovals and earned his way into championship conversations, all while minimizing any areas of weakness.
The similarities between his learning period in Supercars and his recent time in IndyCar is not lost on the 31-year-old, and he feels as if next year could be the breakout year he’s been working towards.
“I’ve said that to Ben [Bretzman], my engineer, a couple of times,” said McLaughlin, his face lighting up at the memories.
“I feel like I am in exactly the same position when I signed on with Penske in 2017 for Supercars back then. I feel like I’ve done a lot of my learning.
“I think in 2016, as well, in Supercars I finished third in the championship and had a couple race wins, and I really felt like I could have that next step. And ultimately I didn’t win that championship, I lost it on the last race, but I put myself in a really good spot.
“I feel like I’m in that same mindset here. I feel like I’ve lost all my habits that I had in touring cars. With my fitness and all that stuff, my neck and stuff that is outside of the car, I feel very comfortable with.
“I also know a lot of faces in here. I know what this [preseason media] day is all about. I know what airports to fly into. It’s just like so many different things that you come to a new place that you forget how easy it is. But I feel a lot more comfortable now.”
McLaughlin begins his fifth full season of IndyCar with Team Penske next month on the streets of St. Petersburg, the location of his first IndyCar win in 2022.
