McLaughlin will not have to spend the first session learning each track this season. Photo: Kevin Dejewski
Scott McLaughlin will be racing in his second full IndyCar season this year, and has tipped his knowledge of the tracks as one of the main factors that will allow him to feel more comfortable season.
McLaughlin raced on 12 new tracks last year, and had to learn the ins and outs of each one with as little as 90 minutes of practice time allotted before qualifying.
He was also still coming to grips with the car itself during those sessions, as it was the first open wheel car he had raced in his professional career.
Now that he some personal experience on the varied layouts of the IndyCar schedule, the youngest member of Team Penske has a lot more confidence that he can turn in better results than he did in his rookie season.
“To be honest, I think the tracks,” said McLaughlin when asked if it was his familiarity with the cars or the tracks will be more important.
“I felt like I got a pretty good handle with the car halfway through the season. It’s just going to tracks I didn’t know. You basically waste a first session just getting used to them.
“You come back at the end of the race, you’re like I found out something in the race that if I did that in qualifying or practice, that’s one or two tenths [of a second].
“I don’t know if it’s going to change the world. It’s certainly going to make me feel more comfortable heading to each track, each race knowing the lefts and the rights, what curbs to hit, what not to hit. It’s going to be a lot of fun doing that.”
There is only one course on the 2022 schedule that McLaughlin has not raced on already, and that is the short oval of Iowa Speedway.
Ovals have proven to be the Kiwi’s specialty, however, and he even finished on the podium during his first outing at Texas Motor Speedway.
“I think we showed some really good promise on the ovals and stuff,” continued McLaughlin. “I felt really strong there, which surprised me a little bit. I probably exceeded my expectations on the ovals.
“But the road courses, I would have loved to have qualified better. I was really content with my races. On the qualifying side, especially as that has been my strong suit in other categories for many years. Working very hard to get better.
“Certainly I feel like I’m in a good spot right now head space-wise, where I am in my development to continue moving forward.”
Keyword: McLaughlin: Track knowledge is biggest advantage in sophomore season