Scott McLaughlin scorches the track in qualifying to break record and claim Indy 500 pole
For the third time in four years, a New Zealander will lead the Indianapolis 500 field onto the track, as three-time V8 Supercars champion Scott McLaughlin won pole position and set the fastest pole speed in the event’s 108-year history.
McLaughlin, who’s driven the Team Penske No. 3 ever since his 2021 switch from Supercars to IndyCar, was already guaranteed his best career start in the 500.
He finished second to Australian teammate Will Power in Saturday qualifying, which ensured both men would at least start in the top twelve.
In the next day’s Fast 12, McLaughlin leapfrogged Power, but that was just a warmup for the final Fast 6, where McLaughlin added nearly a full second’s worth of pace to hit 234.220 mph.
That made him three one-hundredths of a second faster than the previous record, set just last year by Álex Palou.
This marks the sixth time a New Zealander has won pole at the Indy 500, but makes McLaughlin just the second Kiwi to pull it off.
The previous five all belong to the great Scott Dixon, whose 2022 pole run broke a track record that had stood since 1996. If McLaughlin goes on to win this year’s running, he’ll be the first pole-sitter to do so since Simon Pagenaud in 2019.
On top of that, McLaughlin will enjoy a friendly front row at the start of the race, as teammates Power and Josef Newgarden start second and third, respectively.
This marks Team Penske’s best Indy 500 qualifying since 1988, when Rick Mears, Danny Sullivan, and “Big Al” Unser combined to sweep the top three spots.
As a reward for taking pole, McLaughlin earned a US$100,000 cash prize. His engine supplier, Chevrolet, also received two points towards the Manufacturers’ Cup standings.
More importantly, though, this pole nets McLaughlin twelve bonus points towards the IndyCar Series championship.
He’s been in strong form over the past couple races, with a pole position and win at Alabama and a fifth-place finish on the Indianapolis combined road course, and has led 60 laps, the most of anyone this season.
Sports opinion delivered daily
With another strong performance at the 500 next weekend, he’ll vault into at least the top five and fully assert himself as one of this year’s top contenders.