He came, saw, and conquered supercar racing – and now Scott McLaughlin is trying to do the same in IndyCar racing in America.
The Kiwi racing driver has made his way through the Australian motorsport scene over the past decade, rising from rookie to multiple series champion and Bathurst 1000 winner.
He drove a V8 supercar for the first time at the age of 16 and became a star when he gave “a little Jandal” in the Volvo S60 Polestar before he became a champion with the DJR Team Penske.
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Together, McLaughlin and his Ford-backed team ended the dominance of Holden’s Triple Eight roster.
His talent impressed Roger Penske, the American who runs an automotive and racing empire and has put McLaughlin on his leading IndyCar team for 2021 and beyond.
How old is Scott McLaughlin?
At the time of publication (August 2021), he is 28 years old. His birthday is on June 10, 1993.
Where was Scott McLaughlin born?
He was born in Hamilton, New Zealand, but moved to the Gold Coast at the age of nine.
Where does Scott McLaughlin live?
In late 2020, he moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, near Penske Racing’s headquarters. A hub for motorsport in the US with dozens of teams, particularly NASCAR, which Penske also competes in, Charlotte calls the area home.
Who are Scott McLaughlin’s parents?
His parents are Wayne and Dianne McLaughlin. Wayne moved to Australia to run his McLaughlin Freightlines transportation company and helped Scott start his karting career before switching to cars.
Scott also has a sister, Samantha, who previously worked in Supercars Australia’s marketing and communications department.
Is Scott McLaughlin Married?
Yes, he married Karly Paone on December 14, 2019 in Malibu, California.
Who is Scott McLaughlin’s wife?
Karly McLaughlin is from New York and the couple met in Las Vegas in 2016. They were introduced by mutual friends when McLaughlin competed in the annual Karting SuperNationals.
Karly told Supercars.com in 2020 that Scott underestimated his job when the two first met.
“We were wondering what we were doing and you said you were a mechanic and I said, ‘Oh, okay, cool, whatever that means,'” Karly told the official website.
“For the next few days I followed him on social media and he had around 40,000 followers at the time and I thought, ‘What?’ Nobody I knew had that many followers on Instagram, so I thought, ‘oh weird’.
“You said, ‘Yeah, I’m actually a racing driver,’ and I thought, ‘Oh’.
“Yeah, I didn’t really get it until I first visited in April and went to Phillip Island and then I was like, ‘Oh, so you’re a big deal, you’re pretty good at it. ‘“
Which Supercars team did Scott McLaughlin drive for?
For 11 years in supercars he drove for Stone Brothers Racing, Matt Stone Racing, Garry Rogers Motorsport and DJR Team Penske.
After a successful kart career, McLaughlin made his breakthrough with supercars in late 2009 when he tested a Ford Falcon for Stone Brothers Racing.
He made such an impression on the team that he was offered training for 2010 as well as a driver in the secondary Supercars Development Series that year.
He was only 16 years old at the time and missed the first lap because he was too young to get a racing license.
He remained part of the Stone Brothers Racing organization until 2012 when he won the Development Series for Matt Stone Racing.
He completed the Supercars Championship Series with Garry Rogers Motorsport in 2013 and made a name for himself in 2014 when he started driving the Volvo S60 Supercars and became a regular front runner.
In 2017 he moved to DJR Team Penske, a partnership between Dick Johnson’s famous team and Roger Penske’s global motorsport program. He drove the same # 17 Ford (Falcon, then Mustang) that Johnson made famous.
How many Supercars championships has Scott McLaughlin won?
Three – 2018, 2019 and 2020.
They all came with DJR Team Penske as he and the team became the dominant force in supercar racing during those three years.
How many Supercars races has Scott McLaughlin won?
His current record is 56 race wins, 106 podiums and 76 pole positions.
How many Bathurst 1000s has Scott McLaughlin won?
One – in 2019.
DJR team driver Penske McLaughlin and his teammate, Frenchman Alexandre Premat, won the race in their Ford Mustang.
Why did Scott McLaughlin join IndyCar and how will he go?
Roger Penske supported McLaughin’s long-expressed desire to compete on the international stage. McLaughlin’s move to IndyCar coincided with Penske’s decision to sell his stake in the supercar team and focus on his US racing interests.
Penske is the most successful team in US motorsport, so he only selects drivers for talent reasons.
Given his ability to select and support successful drivers, McLaughlin is expected to have the potential to become a race winner and future champion in the U.S. Open Wheeler Series.
Who are Scott McLaughlin’s IndyCar teammates?
His teammates in 2021 include the Australian Will Power, the American Joesf Newgarden and the French Simon Pagenuad. All three are former IndyCar champions at Penske Racing.
Is Scott McLaughlin good at indycar?
IndyCar is a highly competitive category, but it has made a strong impression in its rookie season as it got a top 5 finish and three top 10 results.
The highlight of his Indycar career so far is undoubtedly second place in his first oval race at the high-speed Texas Motor Speedway.
He backed this up by being the lead Penske Racing driver in the prestigious Indianapolis 500.
However, he’s also had issues including a fall on the Detroit street circuit, and he didn’t finish in the top 10 on any street or street circuit (at the time of writing).
How much does Scott McLaughlin earn?
It is unclear how much McLaughlin is paid by Penske Racing, as IndyCar drivers’ salaries are not often published in the same way as other US sports.
Best estimates are that he will likely make somewhere in the $ 500-7 million region, which is in line with similar IndyCar drivers of his experience and a team of Penske’s stature.
Does Scott McLaughlin have his own limited edition car?
Yes. Herrod Performance released the Mustang SM17 special edition in October 2020. It has a compressor, a new intercooler, new injectors and a new exhaust to reach 570 kW / 870 Nm.
Is Scott McLaughlin on social media?
Like so many young racing drivers, McLaughlin is very active on social media. He has Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter accounts, all @ scottmclaughlin93.
He used the hashtag – #scottlearnsamerica – to document his move to the US and acclimatizing the differences between America and Australia; including culinary treats (In ‘n’ Out Hamburger), shopping (Bed, Bath and Beyond) and even the selection of an NFL team to assist (see below).
McLaughlin is also a regular gamer and streams on the Twitch services where he uses the same @ scottmclaughlin93 handle.
Who does Scott McLaughlin support in the NFL?
The Carolina Panthers.
