McLaughlin buzzing after Indy 500 pole
Scott McLaughlin produced “some of the best laps I have ever driven” to join the legendary list of Indianapolis 500 pole sitters.
McLaughlin joined the prolific Scott Dixon as the second Kiwi to secure an Indianapolis 500 pole in scintillating fashion.
The #3 Team Penske “Yellow Submarine” recorded a four-lap average speed of 234.220mph to eclipse Aussie teammate Will Power.
It is the latest highlight of McLaughlin’s impressive American career since switching from Supercars full-time at the start of 2021.
Reflecting on the rapid drive, McLaughlin said he gave it everything.
“It’s just incredible,” he said.
“It’s going to take a while to sink in. It is a super cool place to be on pole, but like I said, the big focus is next week.
“One thing I said to myself before I went out, is that I’m the last one to qualify ‘how cool is that?’
“I just went out and enjoyed it. I felt like those two runs that I had today were some of the best laps I had ever driven.”
Recalling the moment he saw the 234.5mph dash light up on the screen, McLaughlin admitted it caught his attention, just like it did for everyone else all over the world.
“Holy cow. Just don’t spray it,” McLaughlin said.
“I just wanted to make sure I brought it home.
“We worked really hard to get a really good balance in the Fast 12, and I felt like my best run of the weekend was actually the Fast 12. I knew going last was going to be advantage, and we used it.
“To execute the way we he have as a team, is what’s really cool.
“You see the time, and then it’s all about just executing.
“After that your weight jacker and figuring out, okay, what was the car doing and what do you think the car is going to do the next lap, so you are playing with bars and weight jacker and trying to hold on to it.
“We all have been really working that this week and understanding it, and I was glad I was able to put it to the test when it mattered the most.”
When asked to compare it to his famous Bathurst 1000 Shootout pole in 2017, McLaughlin couldn’t with the qualifying formats being so unique.
“It’s a completely different kettle of fish,” McLaughlin said.
“Bathurst is one lap. This is basically four and four good ones.
“I said to myself, you know, it felt like a shoot-out at Bathurst, but I’ve said I’ve done this many times before. It’s just a matter of nailing it again.”
Reflecting on his journey since making the move at the end of 2020, McLaughlin said he always had belief.
“I felt like I could do it,” he said.
“I felt like I believe in my talent and believe in my team around me.
“I’m very lucky to be able to drive for the captain to give me this opportunities.
“A big part of me coming to INDYCAR was to be a part of this race and to be part of the biggest race in the world and I’m glad I came to INDYCAR.
“I’m loving every minute of it, and then to compete it with Team Penske and good cars each time has been a lot.
“It’s been a roller coaster, as everyone knows, my Indy 500 experience.
“Ultimately, there’s the only way to keep working and keep trying to get up the front, and bit by bit we’ll get there, and this is just the start.”
2024 Indianapols 500 grid
1. (3) Scott McLaughlin, Chevrolet, 02:33.7017 (234.220 mph)
2. (12) Will Power, Chevrolet, 02:33.9007 (233.917)
3. (2) Josef Newgarden, Chevrolet, 02:33.9726 (233.808)
4. (7) Alexander Rossi, Chevrolet, 02:34.4469 (233.090)
5. (17) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 02:34.6083 (232.848)
6. (14) Santino Ferrucci, Chevrolet, 02:34.7110 (232.692)
7. (21) Rinus VeeKay, Chevrolet, 02:34.7657 (232.610)
8. (5) Pato O’Ward, Chevrolet, 02:34.7829 (232.584)
9. (60) Felix Rosenqvist, Honda, 02:34.9686 (232.305)
10. (75) Takuma Sato, Honda, 02:35.0578 (232.171)
11. (27) Kyle Kirkwood, Honda, 02:35.8490 (230.993)
12. (23) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Chevrolet, 02:36.1367 (230.567)
13. (26) Colton Herta, Honda, 02:34.9616 (232.316)
14. (10) Alex Palou, Honda, 02:34.9682 (232.306)
15. (6) Callum Ilott, Chevrolet, 02:35.0184 (232.230)
16. (11) Marcus Armstrong, Honda, 02:35.0504 (232.183)
17. (20) Ed Carpenter, Chevrolet, 02:35.1608 (232.017)
18. (4) Kyffin Simpson, Honda, 02:35.2069 (231.948)
19. (98) Marco Andretti, Honda, 02:35.2458 (231.890)
20. (06) Helio Castroneves, Honda, 02:35.2587 (231.871)
21. (9) Scott Dixon, Honda, 02:35.2723 (231.851)
22. (78) Agustin Canapino, Chevrolet, 02:35.2750 (231.847)
23. (41) Sting Ray Robb, Chevrolet, 02:35.2888 (231.826)
24. (33) Christian Rasmussen, Chevrolet, 02:35.3852 (231.682)
25. (66) Tom Blomqvist, Honda, 02:35.4554 (231.578)
26. (77) Romain Grosjean, Chevrolet, 02:35.4982 (231.514)
27. (8) Linus Lundqvist, Honda, 02:35.5034 (231.506)
28. (45) Christian Lundgaard, Honda, 02:35.5308 (231.465)
29. (24) Conor Daly, Chevrolet, 02:35.6803 (231.243)
30. (30) Pietro Fittipaldi, Honda, 02:35.7768 (231.100)
31. (51) Katherine Legge, Honda, 02:36.4590 (230.092)
32. (28) Marcus Ericsson, Honda, 02:36.5037 (230.027)
33. (15) Graham Rahal, Honda, 02:36.5396 (229.974)
Photo by Phillip Abbott / LAT Images
READ THE LATEST ISSUE OF AUTO ACTION DIGITAL HERE
Don’t forget the print edition of Auto Action available via subscription here. For more of the latest motorsport news, subscribe to AUTO ACTION magazine.
Podcast: Supercars Perth and F1 Imola preview
On this week’s show, Andrew, Bruce and PG rejoice at the return of Supercars after what feels like and eternity, but is only four weeks. We preview the Perth round in this week’s Auto Action RevLimiter.
Listen to our latest episode on your podcast app of choice or here
