Scott McLaughlin has secured pole position for the season-opening Indycar race in St. Petersburg, a stunning achievement following a challenging lead-up for the 31-year-old Kiwi.
McLaughlin’s weekend began with a promising third-place finish in the first practice session, less than half a second off the pace set by Kyle Kirkwood. However, a dramatic end to the session—contact with the Turn 3 wall causing significant suspension damage—left his team with a major overnight repair job on the #3 Chevy. The pressure was on.
He returned for the second practice session this morning, finishing a worrying 18th, six-tenths off the pace. But come qualifying, McLaughlin rocketed up the timesheets, setting the fastest time in Group 1 with a 59.4678, 0.15 seconds ahead of Colton Herta. In Round 2, he narrowly advanced to the Fast Six, finishing sixth, just 0.0038 seconds ahead of Marcus Ericsson.
McLaughlin wasn’t the only Kiwi to make the Fast Six. Marcus Armstrong qualified third, making an impressive debut with Meyer Shank Racing, while his former teammate Scott Dixon qualified fourth.
In the Fast Six, McLaughlin delivered a storming lap of 59.4624, securing pole position. Armstrong finished fourth despite a close call when he bounced off the wall at Turn 10, and Dixon completed the Kiwi trio in sixth.
McLaughlin praised his team’s overnight efforts: “Just a huge amount of respect; we have so much trust in each other, and they trusted that I could do the job today in the Dex Imaging Chevy,” he said. “We call it the Printer Wagon; we love it. It’s new to Fox, but it’s a fast printer, and the guys and girls on this team are stars. I had to repay them. I made a silly little mistake, and I was glad to come back with them.”
“I just wanted to get the first pole of the year. Good vibes, immaculate vibes, we like to say. I’m very excited.”
The Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, the season-opening IndyCar race, starts at 6:00 AM NZT tomorrow.
Header Image: Chris Owens
