McLaughlin impresses in virtual IndyCar debut

Scott McLaughlin has made a strong impression in his maiden IndyCar race outing via the virtual iRacing platform.

Driving the Team Penske #2, McLaughlin ran well in qualifying to secure seventh on the grid – ahead of accomplished teammates Simon Pagenaud and Josef Newgarden.

He turned that into an excellent fourth, fighting back after being caught up in an early-race incident with fellow IndyCar rookie Oliver Askew.

McLaughlin got a good run on Askew into the Bus Stop section on lap 6 at the Watkins Glen circuit, making a move around the outside before the pair made contact.

That sent both cars into a spin, with Pagenaud and Newgarden also getting caught up in the drama that left McLaughlin with damage to his front wing.

The two-time defending Supercars champion opted for a short fuel stop in his first visit to pitlane to regain track position – a strategy that would bear fruits.

By the chequered flag, McLaughlin was back battling with Askew, managing to just hold him off for fourth; Sage Karam, Felix Rosenqvist and Will Power took podium placings, in that order.

"A fourth-place finish with the Shell V-Power Dallara was not too bad for us,” McLaughlin said.

“Had a bit of an incident at the start with Oliver Askew, but it was just a racing incident and we had a good battle at the end.

“It was good fun today and a joy to be a part of it. I hope everyone enjoyed it as much as I did.”

McLaughlin will take part in the second IndyCar iRacing Challenge round at Alabama’s Barber Motorsports Park on April 4.

He is expected to be a frontrunner in the Supercars All Stars Eseries beginning April 8, also on the iRacing platform.

When the 26-year-old will make his highly anticipated real-life IndyCar debut is to be determined after May’s GMR Grand Prix was postponed.

Although the event’s new date of July 4 does not clash with any existing Supercars events, it’s not yet been confirmed whether McLaughlin will still line up at the Indianapolis road course.