Australian Supercar ace Scott McLaughlin set for rookie IndyCar season
Team Penske is busy putting together the final pieces of the puzzle in preparation for the 2021 IndyCar Series. Among them is their new recruit, Scott McLaughlin, who is all set to compete in his rookie season after coming off a successful tin-top racing career Down Under.
Team Penske conducts IndyCar Series test
Team Penske driver Scott McLaughlin completed the pre-season test in a 17-car field at Texas Motor Speedway. The three-time Australian Supercars champion set a personal best laptime of 23.76 seconds (218.16 mph) and the 12th-fastest time overall during the test at the 1.5-mile Texas Motor Speedway.
The 27-year-old McLaughlin completed 233 laps overall and will be the only full-time rookie on the IndyCar grid this season, as both Jimmie Johnson and Romain Grosjean, coming off successful careers in NASCAR and Formula 1 respectively, will be running a partial schedule.
The Texas test marked the second outing for the reigning Australian Supercars champion in an IndyCar, having competed in the 2020 Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. McLaughlin was joined by Team Penske stablemates Simon Pagenaud, Will Power, and Josef Newgarden.
Team Penske has a new IndyCar 500 driver
Team Penske announced Scott McLaughlin as the new driver of the yellow Pennzoil-sponsored IndyCar, unofficially dubbed "The Yellow Submarine", replacing Helio Castroneves. The three-time Australian Supercars champion's entry will be sporting the famous livery for his Indianapolis 500 debut this coming May, McLaughlin revealed on social media.
Team Penske has competed in various types of professional racing competitions, including Formula 1, IMSA, SuperCars, NASCAR Xfinity Series, IndyCar Series and more. Overall, the American racing behemoth has produced more than 580 major race wins, 40 championships and around 650 pole positions across stock car, open-wheel and sports car competitions.