In his three seasons competing for DJR Team Penske (DJRTP), Scott McLaughlin has become one of Australia’s biggest racing stars, producing wins, poles and championships at a record-setting pace for the team. The 26-year-old McLaughlin has had an interesting journey on his way to becoming the reigning, two-time Virgin Australia Supercars Champion for the Shell V-Power Ford team.
Earning his second-consecutive driver’s championship for DJRTP, McLaughlin enjoyed a season for the ages in 2019. He and the No. 17 Shell V-Power Mustang team generated a Supercars series single-season record 18 victories to go along with 15 pole positions and 22 podium finishes. He became the first driver to claim the Darwin Triple Crown. McLaughlin also earned his first career win in the legendary Bathurst 1000 race as he and co-driver Alex Premat won from the pole for Team Penske’s first-ever win in the Supercars endurance classic.
For 2020, McLaughlin returns to compete for his third consecutive Supercars driver’s title with the No. 17 Ford Mustang team, led by race engineer Ludo Lacroix. Over the course of his seven full seasons competing in the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship, McLaughlin posted an amazing 43 wins, 61 poles, 85 podium finishes and three series titles – with DJRTP claiming the team championship in 2017 before his driver crowns over the last two seasons.
McLaughlin made his racing debut at age eight, progressing through the New Zealand and Australian Karting scenes before he earned a test in a Stone Brothers Racing Supercar.
Biography
In his three seasons competing for DJR Team Penske (DJRTP), Scott McLaughlin has become one of Australia’s biggest racing stars, producing wins, poles and championships at a record-setting pace for the team. The 26-year-old McLaughlin has had an interesting journey on his way to becoming the reigning, two-time Virgin Australia Supercars Champion for the Shell V-Power Ford team.
Earning his second-consecutive driver’s championship for DJRTP, McLaughlin enjoyed a season for the ages in 2019. He and the No. 17 Shell V-Power Mustang team generated a Supercars series single-season record 18 victories to go along with 15 pole positions and 22 podium finishes. He became the first driver to claim the Darwin Triple Crown. McLaughlin also earned his first career win in the legendary Bathurst 1000 race as he and co-driver Alex Premat won from the pole for Team Penske’s first-ever win in the Supercars endurance classic.
For 2020, McLaughlin returns to compete for his third consecutive Supercars driver’s title with the No. 17 Ford Mustang team, led by race engineer Ludo Lacroix. Over the course of his seven full seasons competing in the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship, McLaughlin posted an amazing 43 wins, 61 poles, 85 podium finishes and three series titles – with DJRTP claiming the team championship in 2017 before his driver crowns over the last two seasons.
McLaughlin made his racing debut at age eight, progressing through the New Zealand and Australian Karting scenes before he earned a test in a Stone Brothers Racing Supercar.
The Stone Brothers saw the potential in the young McLaughlin and made the decision to promote him straight into the 2010 Supercars Dunlop series at just 16 years of age.
The 2012 season served as a breakout year for McLaughlin as he competed in – and won – both the Supercars Dunlop Series in Australia and the New Zealand V8 Super Tourer series. He also made his “main-game” Supercar debut the same year, partnering Jonathon Webb at Tekno in both the Sandown 500 and Bathurst 1000.
It was at the 2012 Sydney 500 where McLaughlin got his “big break,” replacing the ill Alex Premat at Garry Rogers Motorsport (GRM) for the final Supercars Championship race of the season. McLaughlin finished in 17th place after starting at the rear of the grid, and it was this performance that earned the talented young racer a full-time drive at GRM for the 2013 season.
McLaughlin went onto become the youngest-ever winner of a Supercars race when he triumphed at Pukekohe Park Raceway in front of an adoring home crowd, ending the year 10th in the series championship to capture the Mike Kable Young Gun Award that recognizes the series Rookie of the Year.
In 2014, with GRM representing Volvo's return to Australian motorsport, he generated five race wins, multiple podium finishes and 10 pole positions as he was presented with the Barry Sheene Medal for best and fairest driver in the Supercars championship. After a challenging 2015 season, McLaughlin bounced back with a pair of wins and third-place championship run in 2017 as he claimed his second Barry Sheene Medal.
The fast Kiwi made the move to DJR Team Penske for the 2017 season, as he joined his compatriot Fabian Coulthard to form one of the most exciting combinations in the sport. McLaughlin had an incredible first season with DJRTP as he scored eight wins and a record-breaking 16 pole positions in 2017 on his way to finishing second in the driver’s championship.
In 2018, he raised the bar even higher as he won nine races and claimed 13 poles and 21 podium finishes. With a strong performance under the intense glare of a championship weekend in Newcastle, McLaughlin earned a win and a runner-up result to clinch the 2018 Virgin Australia Supercars Championship driver's title.
After getting married to Karly, his longtime girlfriend, during the offseason in California, McLaughlin tested a Team Penske Indy car in January and he’s ready for the opportunities that lie ahead in 2020.
McLaughlin Key Accomplishments
2018 and 2019 Virgin Australia Supercars Champion
Winner of the 2019 Bathurst 1000
Established single-season series record with 18 Supercars wins in 2019
2012 Dunlop Super2 Champion
2012 NZ SuperTourer Champion
2013 Mike Kable Young Gun Supercars Championship Award Winner
2017 Virgin Australia Supercars Championship runner-up
Finished third in the 2016 Virgin Australia Supercars Championship
