Team Penske has confirmed two-time Australian Supercars champion Scott McLaughlin will finally make his eagerly anticipated IndyCar debut on October 25 at the season-ending race in St.Petersburg, Florida.
Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, McLaughlin had been set to make his first appearance at the GMR Grand Prix in May ahead of the Indianapolis 500, however, was forced to postpone his debut due to travel restrictions.
McLaughlin was able to get a taste of IndyCar at a test at Sebring with the help of the current Penske drivers and four-time Indy 500 winner Rick Mears.
After the test at Sebring, McLaughlin also took part in the official pre-season test at COTA, but running was at a premium due to heavy rain and unusually cold temperatures.
McLaughlin currently heads the Supercars standings and will head to the United States once he has finished the Bathurst 1000 a week prior to St.Pete on October 18.
“This is something I haven’t stopped thinking about, but I wanted to ensure my focus was on winning our third-straight Supercars championship for DJR Team Penske and all our partners in Australia,” said McLaughlin.
“We are still laser-focused on that and have three more rounds to get it done, but I’m equally as excited to finally get the chance and make my INDYCAR debut.
“I’ve been doing everything I can to keep up with the series this year, from watching as many races as I can on TV to even talking to the drivers and some of the engineers back at the Team Penske shop.
“I never knew if I would be able to get behind the wheel of one of these cars this year due to all the COVID-19 restrictions, but I wanted to be ready if it became an opportunity.”
The Kiwi’s car will be very noticeable around the Floridian circuit as he will be driving the No. 3 Shell V-Power Nitro+ Dallara/Chevrolet car.
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