Scott McLaughlin Bio
Scott Thomas McLaughlin (born 10 June 1993) is a New Zealand racing driver who competes in the IndyCar Series, driving the No. 3 Dallara-Chevrolet for Team Penske. He previously raced in the Supercars Championship, where he won three consecutive drivers’ championships in 2018, 2019, and 2020. McLaughlin’s journey began in karting and saw him rise quickly through the junior ranks to capture significant titles before transitioning to IndyCar racing.
Early Life and Background
McLaughlin was born in Christchurch, New Zealand. He moved to Hamilton with his family at the age of three and later relocated to Australia’s Gold Coast when he was nine. He attended Saint Stephen’s College during his upbringing in Australia, balancing his education with a rapidly growing commitment to motorsport.
His interest in racing emerged early. McLaughlin began racing karts in 1999 at the Kartsport Hamilton circuit outside of Hamilton, New Zealand, and won his first title in 2002. After his family relocated to the Gold Coast in 2003, McLaughlin began contesting Australian karting titles while also continuing to compete in New Zealand. In 2008, he represented New Zealand in the Junior class at the Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals alongside fellow karter Nick Cassidy.
Path to NASCAR
Although Scott McLaughlin is best known for Supercars and IndyCar, his professional development followed a junior touring car ladder rather than a NASCAR pathway. He was part of the Britek Motorsport scholarship in 2008, where he worked closely with Supercars race winner Jason Bright, and attended the 2008 Bathurst 1000 to learn the inner workings of a race team. The following year he completed a work experience stint with Stone Brothers Racing and was offered a four-year apprenticeship with the team beginning in 2010.
McLaughlin made his V8 Supercar test debut on 17 December 2009 at Queensland Raceway, impressing the team with lap times close to those of the squad’s full-time drivers. His progression through the V8 Supercar Development Series and the V8 SuperTourer Series prepared him for a full-time Supercars Championship seat with Garry Rogers Motorsport in 2013 and, eventually, a path toward international open-wheel racing with Team Penske.
Scott McLaughlin Career
Early Career (2010-2013)
McLaughlin was signed by Stone Brothers Racing to contest the 2010 Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series. Due to his limited experience, he was unable to attain the required competition licence for the opening round and instead raced in the Australian Mini Challenge and the Victorian Formula Ford Series before making his V8 Supercar debut at Queensland Raceway, where he became the youngest ever driver to race a V8 Supercar. He finished twelfth in the championship that year.
In 2011, McLaughlin secured his first V8 Supercar Development Series victory at Queensland Raceway and finished fourth in the standings. The following year, he won the 2012 Dunlop V8 Supercar Series title by a 73-point margin. He also made his Supercars Championship debut at the 2012 Dick Smith Sandown 500 as a co-driver before being signed by Garry Rogers Motorsport for the 2013 season, where he became the youngest driver to win a Supercars Championship race.
Supercars Championship Breakthrough (2014-2020)
McLaughlin continued with Garry Rogers Motorsport into 2014, finishing fifth in the standings. In July 2016 it was announced that McLaughlin would join DJR Team Penske for the 2017 Supercars Championship. He enjoyed immediate success, taking a record sixteen pole positions during the season as well as eight race victories, and finished runner-up to Jamie Whincup in the championship.
The following season, McLaughlin took his maiden championship title. In 2019, he dominated with eighteen wins, a single-season record, along with fifteen pole positions, eighteen fastest laps, and 22 podiums. He became the first driver to claim the Darwin Triple Crown and won the Bathurst 1000 for the first time with co-driver Alexandre Prémat. McLaughlin completed a hat-trick of championship wins in 2020, the season shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic, taking thirteen victories and his third consecutive title.
Team Penske IndyCar Era (2021-Present)
During 2020 it was announced that McLaughlin would join the IndyCar Series with Team Penske in 2021. He made his debut at the 2020 Firestone Grand Prix of St Petersburg. In his rookie season, his strongest performances came on ovals, highlighted by a second-place finish at Texas Motor Speedway, and he was named Indianapolis 500 Rookie Of The Year after qualifying seventeenth and finishing twentieth at the 105th Indianapolis 500.
In 2022, McLaughlin became a championship contender, taking his first IndyCar win at the St Petersburg season opener and adding victories at Mid-Ohio and Portland to finish fourth in the standings. In 2023, he agreed on a multi-year deal to remain with Team Penske and finished as the team’s highest scorer in third place overall. In 2024, he secured wins at Barber, the first race of the Iowa double header, and the second race of the Milwaukee double header, while also taking pole for the 108th Indianapolis 500.
Driving Style and Strengths
McLaughlin is widely recognized for his qualifying pace and his ability to adapt quickly to new machinery. His oval performances have consistently outpaced his road and street course results, a strength he has attributed to the oval qualifying format resembling Supercars and to IndyCar oval tires reaching working temperature faster. He has also developed strong tire and brake management skills, which were the main focus of his early IndyCar learning curve.
Notable Races and Milestones
Signature moments include his first Supercars victory at the 2013 Adelaide 500, his 2019 Bathurst 1000 triumph, his first IndyCar win at the 2022 St Petersburg Grand Prix, his Indianapolis 500 Rookie Of The Year award in 2021, and his pole position for the 108th Indianapolis 500 in 2024.
Scott McLaughlin Career Wins
McLaughlin has accumulated victories across multiple series, including karting titles, the V8 SuperTourer Series, the V8 Supercar Development Series, the Supercars Championship, and the IndyCar Series. His Supercars title wins came in 2018, 2019, and 2020, while his IndyCar victories span St Petersburg, Mid-Ohio, Portland, Barber, Iowa, and Milwaukee.
Supercars Championship Highlights
McLaughlin’s Supercars career totals include three championship titles, a single-season record eighteen race wins in 2019, and multiple Bathurst 1000 appearances. His first Supercars win came at the 2013 Clipsal 500 Adelaide, and his most recent Supercars victory was part of his 2020 title campaign. He also finished runner-up in 2017.
Other Wins and Performances
Beyond Supercars and IndyCar, McLaughlin won the inaugural 2012 V8 SuperTourer Series title with six race wins for MPC Motorsport, and he captured the 2012 Dunlop V8 Supercar Series. Earlier, he earned multiple karting titles in New Zealand and Australia, including a 2002 championship.
| Series | Wins | Top Tens | Poles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supercars Championship | Multiple | Multiple | Multiple |
| IndyCar Series | Multiple | Multiple | Multiple |
Scott McLaughlin Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
McLaughlin’s racing roots trace back to his early karting days in New Zealand, supported throughout by his family as they relocated between Christchurch, Hamilton, and Australia’s Gold Coast. His development through Britek Motorsport and Stone Brothers Racing gave him close mentorship from established Supercars figures, including Jason Bright.
Personal Life
McLaughlin is married to Karly Paone, a schoolteacher from Long Island, New York. The couple met in 2016 in Las Vegas and married in 2020. After McLaughlin moved from Supercars to the IndyCar Series, they relocated to North Carolina to be closer to Team Penske’s headquarters. On 10 October 2024, Karly gave birth to their daughter, Lucy Violet McLaughlin. McLaughlin also became a naturalized American citizen on 29 April 2025.
2025 Season Performance
McLaughlin’s 2025 IndyCar campaign began with a podium-equaling third-place result at St Petersburg, which was later stripped after Team Penske was found to have illegally manipulated ECU software. He followed that with a mechanical DNF at Long Beach before rebounding to take his first win of the season at Barber Motorsports Park, demonstrating the qualifying speed that has long defined his career.
He carried that momentum into the month of May by qualifying on pole for the 108th Indianapolis 500, where he finished inside the top ten. Further podium finishes at Road America and Mid-Ohio helped him climb back into championship contention, and additional oval wins at Iowa and Milwaukee underlined his growing comfort on high-speed ovals with Team Penske.
Looking ahead, McLaughlin remains firmly in the IndyCar playoff picture with Team Penske, anchored by his partnership with the No. 3 Dallara-Chevrolet program. His mix of road course gains and proven oval form positions him as a title threat for the balance of the 2025 season.