By winning the first race of the Iowa Speedway double-header, Scott McLaughlin earned his first oval victory since joining IndyCar in 2021.
The New Zealand native had expressed in the past that he was eager to get his first oval win so that he could claim to be a more complete driver.
He reiterated that mindset after climbing from his car Saturday night, saying that he can now be proud of his overall achievements in the series.
“I felt like an open-wheel driver, but an IndyCar driver is someone that can win on all three racetracks,” said McLaughlin, who now has six IndyCar victories. “Thankfully very proud to say I’ve won on an oval now, along with a road and street course.
“Proud moment for me. It’s taken a lot of hard work, work hard behind the scenes to be better. Whether it’s here or with the old surface, Texas, any of the other ovals, I feel like I’ve been really strong, just haven’t quite finished it off.
“There’s room for improvement all the time. I’m nowhere near a complete driver. I just feel like I’m an IndyCar driver now, or I’m proud to say that I am.
“Ultimately everyone wants to win on an oval. It’s exhilarating, most fun racetracks some days. It’s a lot of fun. You get a lot of enjoyment from oval racing. I think it’s the backbone of the sport.”
McLaughlin has not shied away from the fact that he’s been seeking as much help as he can from others in the IndyCar paddock.
He has even been receiving considerable assistance from Simon Pagenaud, who has been sidelined for over a year after suffering a concussion during a crash at Mid-Ohio in 2023.
The Indy 500 winner has been instrumental in McLaughlin taking the next step in building out his skills to cover the breadth of IndyCar’s diverse calendar.
“He’s been unreal for me, as you know,” said McLaughlin about Pagenaud. “Such a good teacher. It’s special to work with someone like that. For him to basically give me everything, it’s crazy.
“You should see the notes I get. He sends me notes every morning before I go on track. I don’t even have time to read it sometimes. It’s crazy. It’s like essays, longer than your reporting stories. It’s crazy.
“Ultimately I treasure them. I save them. I’ll never give them to anyone else ’cause they’re just that good.
“Yeah, I’m very proud to do it for him, do it for [race engineer] Benny [Bretzman] as well. Benny has been a huge help for me in that regard, Benny Bretzman. Good team. I’m very thankful to have the people, blessed to have the people in my corner.”
McLaughlin starts on pole for Sunday’s race, and has a strong change to double up on his oval victories just one day after earning his first.
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