Scott McLaughlin claimed pole in the first Qualifying of the 2026 IndyCar season on the street of St. Pete. Following a great first Practice, the Penske driver was quick to book his spot in the Fast 6.
McLaughlin loves St. Pete
McLaughlin shared his excitement with the media following St. Pete IndyCar Qualifying. In 2022, he scored his first IndyCar win at St. Petersburg. McLaughlin now has three poles at this track. He mentioned how much he loves this place and jokes that he should move to Florida.
“Yep. Maybe I need to move to Florida. I don’t know what it is. I love this place. Great way to start our year.
One of McLaughlin’s favorite cars
McLaughlin sounded hopeful, mentioning that he reached new lows last season. He went as far as to say it was the worst year of his life. After a turbulent 2025 season with Team Penske, the No. 3 driver is thrilled to start this year off right.
He mentioned that despite the ultimate result in the St. Pete IndyCar Qualifying, he felt they narrowly missed Q1. McLaughlin was proud of their execution as the team was able to improve the car drastically.
“We did this last year, and I proceeded to have the worst year of my life. I’m just focused on execution tomorrow and the rest of the season. This is one little step. Just really proud of the execution because I felt like we nearly actually missed Q1. We were right on the buffer there, and the car was terrible. It was nice to tune it up and get it right and then it become one of my favorite cars I’ve had around here.
Camaraderie with Raul Prados
The Team Penske driver highlighted his camaraderie with his long-time race engineer Raul Prados. They developed a strong understanding of each other when McLaughlin transitioned from Supercars to IndyCar in 2021. He reported looking forward to growing together this 2026 IndyCar season.
“It’s a testament to Raul and the camaraderie that we’ve built already and the understanding for each other, and that can only grow from here.”
Major adjustments ahead of Q2
Team Penske was struggled to make it out of Round 1 of the St. Pete IndyCar Qualifying. Newgarden got knocked out and McLaughlin scraped into the Fast 6. The No. 3 driver said they threw everything including the kitchen sink in to improve in Q2.
“We were firing springs in the thing and front wing changes and everything. We threw the kitchen sink at it between Q1 and Q2, made it a little bit better through Q2, scraped into the Fast Six, and then it was just a matter of executing for the Fast Six and have some fun with house money we like to call it, so it was fun.”
McLaughlin’s relief was clear as he explained it was a matter of execution. He joked that they had a little ‘fun with house money’ to make the pole at St. Pete IndyCar Qualifying.
Execution is the key word
The New Zealander reflected on his experience in IndyCar and how he knows when to reel it in and execute. Having been in IndyCar for five years now, McLaughlin expressed that he knows how to pace himself throughout the season. He explained that drivers can be on pole at St. Pete but round out the bottom in Phoenix.
“I know I’m 32, but I guess you could say it’s maturity a little bit, IndyCar maturity, knowing how long the season is. One sort of pole — it’s quite easy to be 20th next week at Phoenix. It’s IndyCar racing.
McLaughlin is careful to keep an eye on the competition after the St. Pete IndyCar Qualifying. He mentioned Chip Ganassi Racing driver Alex Palou and many others have been very good over the years. He knows he will have fierce competition this season.
“Enjoy the highs, but work hard because it’s so close that people are going to be coming for us tomorrow, and we know how good the 10 car has been and how good everyone else has been for so many years.
Mixing the old potion together
McLaughlin tried to maintain his child-like self as he said he is just doing what he loves. He continues to communicate with the team on improvements. During the St. Pete IndyCar Qualifying, he recalled not feeling good after Q1. Speaking to Prados, allowed them to execute a better Q2 thanks to a new mix of an old potion.
“For me, I’m just going out there, I’m trying to enjoy driving the car like a little kid again, just doing what I love and telling Raul what I want from the car and what will make me go faster, and we’re doing that.
“I didn’t feel good at Q1. I said, I need this, this and this to go faster. He gave me it, and it was about sort of mixing the old potion together and sending it, and it was nice.“
First Qualifying with Tim Cindric
Being at the top of the timing stand can be a lonely spot for McLaughlin. He said he has lost many friends and wishes them well in their other endeavors. However, he is staying focused on his current teammates, stating they can do the same job, if not better.
“Yeah, it’s definitely a refresh. All the guys that I lost are some of my best friends, but they’ve gone on to cooler things for their careers, and I can only wish them well, and now I’ve got guys that can do just the same job, if not better.
The Team Penske driver mentioned it’s his first IndyCar Qualifying with former team president Tim Cindric as his spotter. McLaughlin and Cindric work on finding a rhythm together around the streets of St. Petersburg.
“I felt like me and TC, it was our first qualifying session together, and I was telling him in spots to stop talking. We’re sort of warming up to each other a little bit, and it was fun.
Tim Cindric was removed following a scandal last season but started in his new role this St. Pete IndyCar Qualifying. This 2026 IndyCar season, he returns to Team Penske as McLaughlin’s strategist.
“But yeah, there’s still a lot of — I think there’s a lot of things that we can work on as a group together, but this is a great start.“
McLaughlin mentioned there’s still lots of work to be done as it’s early this season. He was encouraged by the results of the St. Pete IndyCar Qualifying, saying it’s a great start.
McLaughlin hopes for another Victory Lane at IndyCar St. Pete
The New Zealander is excited about the great car they have this year. Additionally, he appreciates Cindric for his experience with making the right calls when spotting for his teammate Josef Newgarden. He recalled successes at the St. Pete IndyCar track in the past, with his former strategist Kyle Moyer.
“Yeah, I’m excited because we’ve got a great car. I think it’s nice to have a guy that you know that’s got the history of choosing the right calls and whatnot, but I’ve also had plenty of those guys on my stand before and won here with Kyle Moyer, who was unreal in that department, too.
McLaughlin fondly remembered his first trip down Victory Lane was on this very track in 2022. He said winning requires three things: speed, timing and no mistakes. He hopes that he can replicate that by turning his pole into a win after the St. Pete IndyCar Qualifying.
“The first thing you need is car speed, and for me to make the right moves at the right time, no mistakes, and hopefully we can have a day like we did in 2022.“
