By Sarah Handy, Staff Writer
Team Penske announced has announced that defending Virgin Australia Supercars Champion Scott McLaughlin will make his NTT IndyCar Series debut on May 9.
He will race in the GMR Grand Prix on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.
McLaughlin is a two-time Supercars title winner, who will attempt to win his third consecutive series championship for DJR Team Penske (DJRTP) in 2020.
Additionally, he will also be a participant in next week’s IndyCar Series preseason open test at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas.
“This is an amazing opportunity – to race against some of the best open wheel drivers in the world on one of the most historic tracks in motorsports,” said McLaughlin in a team press release.
McLaughlin drove an open wheel car for the first time during last month’s series rookie evaluation test at Sebring International Raceway in Sebring, Fla.
“I’m excited about the challenge of trying to win a third-consecutive Supercars championship while helping to keep the Shell V-Power Racing Team at the front of the field this season. I’m also really looking forward to this new opportunity,” added McLaughlin.
“It’s a driver’s dream to get a chance to race an Indy car for Team Penske. With the experience I gained at the test in Sebring, I know a little bit more about what to expect when I get back into the car at COTA. I just want to learn as much as I can every time, I’m in the car so I can make the most of the opportunity to race with the team at the Grand Prix in Indianapolis.”
McLaughlin will pilot the No. 2 Dallara/Chevrolet during both the COTA test and the GMR Grand Prix in Indianapolis.
He has produced 35 victories and 44 pole positions over the last three seasons while helping DJRTP claim team championships in 2017 and 2019 and winning the driver’s title in each of the last two seasons.
Additionally, McLaughlin also earned his first win in the legendary Bathurst 1000 race last October, with co-driver Alex Premat.
On his way to the title last season, McLaughlin established a new single-season Supercars record with 18 victories, in addition to a series-leading 15 poles and 22 podium finishes.
“Scott has experienced tremendous success in Supercars over the last three seasons with DJR Team Penske and we believe his talent and his drive will continue to shine behind the wheel of an Indy car,” said Roger Penske.
“It will be interesting to see how he continues to develop as we work up to his first race at the Indianapolis Grand Prix. We know Scott will work hard to improve with every lap and he will represent Team Penske well as he gets acclimated to the IndyCar Series.”
The GMR Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway will take place on Saturday, May 9, with the green flag scheduled to waive at 3:50pm ET. The race will be seen live on NBC, with radio coverage on INDYCAR Radio and SIRIUS XM.