"I owe it to Roger Penske to focus on IndyCar": Scott McLaughlin gets real about attempting Double Duty like Kyle Larson
Scott McLaughlin hails from New Zealand but was motivated to make the change to racing open-wheel racecars in America by Roger Penske, as the former drives for Team Penske. Subsequently, when asked whether the 31-year-old would like to make a try at the Double duty, McLaughlin revealed that he wanted to remain focused on claiming the dub at the Indy 500 as he owes a lot to Penske.
The Indy 500 is one of the most prestigious races in the world, as it is a part of the elusive triple crown of motorsport. This makes the race a must-win for any driver in his racing career.
Similarly, McLaughlin has ambitions to win the race as he has won the pole position for the fabled event, but has never clinched the victory. On the other hand, NASCAR holds one of its biggest races of the year on the same day at Charlotte Speedway in the form of the Coca-Cola 600.
Last two years, Kyle Larson has aimed to complete the full 1100 miles of racing by completing the Double duty at both fronts, but has failed miserably each time. Reflecting on how winning the Indy 500 remains the biggest task at hand for the Kiwi, McLaughlin admitted that he owes this focus on IndyCar to motorsport tycoon owner, Roger Penske, as he said:
"I would do it, but I think I've got a few boxes I want to tick here in IndyCar. I know it's a boring answer but it's definitely something I'm really interested in doing, but I think I owe it to RP (Roger Penske) and the team to focus on what I'm doing here in IndyCar and then the rest will follow.
"If you look at [Kyle] Lason; like he was burnt out from doing it the last couple of years and I need to make sure that I've won this big race and ultimately the one that I want to win the most, before I even think about moving on to something else and doing something crazy like that," McLaughin added.
The 31-year-old Team Penske driver has had a range of results at the Indy 500 over the years.
Scott McLaughlin was gutted after his latest attempt at the Indy 500
In his five attempts at the race, Scott McLaughlin has finished once inside the top 10. He had bagged the pole position for the 2024 iteration of the race but finished sixth as his teammate, Josef Newgarden, won that race.
Though this year's race loomed with controversy surrounding the Team Penske cars, the seven-time race winner was the highest Penske driver in the starting order. However, he had a throttle blip and lost control of his car on the formation lap, ending his day prematurely at the IMS.
Sharing his thoughts on the torrid weekend at the Indy 500, the New Zealander wrote on X:
"I’d never wish this feeling on my worst enemy. #INDY500 #Thirsty3s"
Scott McLaughlin has amassed 164 points and sits eighth in the championship order.