Australian Supercars champion McLaughlin set for IndyCar debut

Australian Supercars champion Scott McLaughlin will make his IndyCar Series debut in May after signing a deal with Team Penske.

The two-time Supercars title-winner will take part in the GMR Grand Prix on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course in the #2 Team Penske, with reigning champion Josef Newgarden slotting into the #1 car.

The Australian driver, who recently won the Bathurst 1000 with co-driver Alexandre Premat for DJR Team Penske, has already completed evaluation tests at Sebring and will gain further track time at the pre-season test at Circuit of the Americas before heading to Indianapolis on May 9.

“This is an amazing opportunity to race against some of the best open wheel drivers in the world on one of the most historic tracks in motorsports,” McLaughlin said.

“I’m excited about the challenge of trying to win a third consecutive Supercars championship while helping to keep the Shell V-Power Racing Team at the front of the field this season. I’m also really looking forward to this new opportunity. It’s a driver’s dream to get a chance to race an Indy car for Team Penske.

"With the experience I gained at the test in Sebring, I know a little bit more about what to expect when I get back into the car at COTA. I just want to learn as much as I can every time I’m in the car so I can make the most of the opportunity to race with the team at the Grand Prix in Indianapolis.”

McLaughlin joins one of the most successful teams at the Indianapolis road track event with Will Power taking victory in 2015, 2017 and 2018 while fellow Team Penske driver Simon Pagenaud claimed the win in 2016 and 2019 – the first part of his clean sweep of the month of May last year.