Scott McLaughlin says his four wins to date in the IndyCar Series are more satisfying than any of his 56 wins in Supercars.
McLaughlin was prolific Down Under, winning three Supercars crows and the 2019 Bathurst 1000 – all with the then-known DJR Team Penske.
A move to IndyCar came at the end of 2020 before contesting his first full-time season in 2021 with Roger Penske's eponymous team.
Stan Sport is the only place to watch the 2023 IndyCar Series, featuring Will Power, Scott McLaughlin and Scott Dixon. All the action streaming ad free, live and on demand
IndyCar race weekends feature just one race whereas Supercars can have as many as four races across a weekend.
McLaughlin's first win came in the 2022 season-opener on the streets of St Petersburg before triumphing again at Mid-Ohio and Portland.
After eight races in 2023, the Kiwi has one win to his credit.
"There is no more satisfying series to win a race in," McLaughlin said on the Off Track with Hinch and Rossi podcast.
READ MORE: Players on edge after 'confronting' pitch protest
READ MORE: English great torches 'shambolic' bowling efforts
READ MORE: Every wicket from Australia v England second Test
"I've won a lot of races in Australia and in other categories, I've never been more satisfied at the end of a race for the four wins that I've had in IndyCar.
"It's just incredible. I think that's a testament to the teams and drivers you race against. Yeah, I love it, it's a lot of fun."
It hasn't always been smooth sailing for the 30-year-old. McLaughlin's debut season in 2021 was a topsy-turvy affair.
He enjoyed the highs of a podium on his oval debut but endured a tough season on the whole, battling to scrape into the top 10, including a seven-race streak.
"Midway through '21, I probably thought I was going home," said McLaughlin.
"I just couldn't get my head around it. Trying to learn the red (soft compound) tyre, the red tyre is very inconsistent as we all know, track to track, day to day, set to set.
"Genuinely, it took me a little bit to get used to just the overall cadence of the season and realising just how hard it is.
"I came from Supercars where it was like, if I finished outside the top five or outside the top four or three, I was pissed off."
Coming up on the mid-point of his third campaign, it's been a turbulent 2023.
A win in St Peterburg went begging after he clashed with Romain Grosjean but he broke through four races later with victory in Alabama.
The month of May was a lacklustre affair, finishing 16th and 14th on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course and oval respectively.
Coming into the eighth round at Mid-Ohio, where he won a year ago, McLaughlin sits sixth in the standings and 125 points in arrears of series leader Alex Palou.
The Chip Ganassi Racing driver is in a rich vein of form, having won three of the last four races.
"What Alex Palou is doing now is so impressive I think even more so – I think he's doing such a good job with his team," said McLaughlin.
"It shows you can do it but it's very hard to stay at the front.
"I think once I sorted out my mentality of like, 'Okay, this is going to take time. I've got to learn. I've got to put some good qualifying efforts in. Don't give up during the races because you could be at the back and then all of a sudden come to the front'. You have no idea. Once you get that mentality right, that's when it starts sinking in.
"I feel very comfortable now, but I think winning three races last year was a surprise, I thought if I could get one it would be great. To be top five in the championship and winning races was great, now this year having a win already is good.
"I'm still pissed off at the middle part of my year right now so I really want to get a really good finish to my second half."
Practice at Mid-Ohio gets underway on Saturday at 11.45pm (AEST) followed by qualifying at 4.45am on Sunday.
Final practice takes place at 12.30am on Monday with the 80-lap race to follow at 3.30am.
For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.