Scott McLaughlin's Impressive Performance at Iowa Speedway

Scott McLaughlin delivered a noteworthy performance over the weekend at the IndyCar race at Iowa Speedway. Having secured a promising second place on Saturday, he followed up with a respectable fifth position in Sunday's Hy-Vee One Step 250.

"YOU LIKE THAT?!"

RETWEET to congratulate @JosefNewgarden for winning BOTH races at @IowaSpeedway! #INDYCAR pic.twitter.com/Z8bQTwSzN8
— INDYCAR on NBC (@IndyCaronNBC) July 23, 2023

Mid-Race Maneuvers

Launching from the second position, McLaughlin maintained a competitive pace alongside pole-sitter and initial front-runner Will Power. However, he dropped to third when the race's ultimate victor, Josef Newgarden, overtook both drivers with a deft manoeuvre on the 31st lap. Despite this setback, McLaughlin showed tenacity, swiftly regaining his second position and holding it for the bulk of the race.

P5 today - proud of my weekend. Felt like we really took a step forward on ovals this weekend. Congrats to @Team_Penske they gave us all rocketships this weekend! #thirsty3s pic.twitter.com/TCZJ04VLwG
— Scott McLaughlin (@smclaughlin93) July 23, 2023

Pit Stop Decisions

Following an unexpected incident where Sting Ray Robb's left-rear tyre detached after his 154th lap pit stop, McLaughlin and his crew saw an opportunity to make a strategic move. They decided to pit for fresh tyres, joining Pato O’Ward, Alex Palou, Kyle Kirkwood, and Romain Grosjean. Reflecting on this decision, McLaughlin shared, 

"We just had to do something different, man. We were just trying to do something off-sequence, we knew that we were basically the same as Josef [Newgarden] if we were together."

Final Push

Restarting in ninth, the 2019 Bathurst 1000 champion demonstrated his mettle by steadily advancing through the ranks, making it back up to fourth place before the top three pitted on laps 195 and 196. The final lap presented a daunting situation as lapped cars overtook McLaughlin from all sides. The three-time Supercars champion then had to utilise all his skill to avoid a collision, stating, 

"I had run out of tools. I was just driving this thing."

Reflecting on the Race

Post-race, McLaughlin acknowledged the challenges he faced and spoke positively about the learning experience, stating, 

"It was fun, I learned a lot. It’s not fun when you restart with the whole field behind you but it is what it is and I’m learning every lap around these ovals and what I learned this weekend was huge and I can’t wait to come back here in the future."

Looking Forward

McLaughlin’s progress in the realm of oval racing in the IndyCar Series is undeniable, particularly considering his second-place finish at Texas Motor Speedway in 2021. Now he's carrying this newfound confidence into future short oval races, remarking, 

"I’m so confident around the top now." Despite his optimism, he is aware of the road ahead, candidly admitting, "I’ve still got a long way to go obviously to try and beat [Newgarden], but certainly think the promise is there to do it." 

Currently sitting fifth in the overall championship, McLaughlin is a mere point behind fourth-place Marcus Ericsson and 148 points off championship leader Alex Palou.