ST. PETERSBURG, Florida – It was closer than he would have liked, but Scott McLaughlin is officially a winner in the NTT IndyCar Series.
McLaughlin, who started from the pole, took the lead for the final time when Scott Dixon made his final pit stop on lap 79 and led the remainder of the 100-lap distance to win Sunday’s Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.
The driver from Christchurch, New Zealand, had to hold off a hard charging Alex Palou in the final three laps. In the final circuits Palou was no more than a few car lengths behind McLaughlin, but he didn’t have enough to deny the New Zealander his first IndyCar victory.
The three-time Australian Supercar champion, who switched to Team Penske’s IndyCar program at the end of the 2020 season, endured a disappointing rookie season in 2021 before his victory on Sunday.
Palou finished roughly half a second behind McLaughlin, with Will Power finishing 2.4 seconds behind the winner in third. Defending St. Petersburg winner Colton Herta finished fourth, with new Andretti Autosport driver Romain Grosjean finishing fifth.
Keyword: McLaughlin Conquers The Streets Of St. Petersburg