Scott McLaughlin won the NTT IndyCar Rookie of the Year award in 2021, a year after having won his third consecutive Australian Supercars series title.

Big deal, one might say. After all, the runner-up – former Formula One driver Romain Grosjean – did 13 of the 16 races while McLaughlin did them all.

Still, it is, in a way, a cool accolade because McLaughlin went from driving touring cars to open-wheel cars. He is also the first from Team Penske to win the award.

“I guess the Supercar really doesn’t rely too much on the aerodynamics, where the Indy car does,” McLaughlin said, when asked about the adjustments he had to make. “So it took me a good year or so to really trust the aerodynamic forces of the car and the power that it actually has on car set-up, and your confidence level and what it can help with.”

One year, indeed. McLaughlin finished 14th in IndyCar points in 2021, with one podium – he was second at the EXPEL 375 in Texas – and five top 10 finishes highlighting his rookie campaign.

Don’t look now, but the second-year man is off to a hot start this season. He won at St. Pete in the season opener and was second at the XPEL 375, giving him a series-leading 97 points heading into this Sunday’s Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach main event.

Official practices are Friday and qualifying is Saturday on the streets of Long Beach.

One could say McLaughlin is pleased with the start to 2022.

“Not winning Texas was probably the biggest blip on the radar, and it’s awesome,” he said. “If we were upset about a second place, it’s a good thing. But it’s a great start. We need to keep the consistency.”

He said that’s what it takes to contend for the series championship.

“And I feel we can continue that at Long Beach,” McLaughlin said. “I enjoy the race there and enjoy the track. Hopefully, we can make it happen.”

The New Zealander intimated that about halfway through the 2021 season, he began to get a good feel for the differences in the two types of cars.

“I think it clicked with me in the last sort of three months of the season last year and then, obviously, having the whole offseason to work on that, fine-tuning a few things of what I want,” he said. “That certainly helped and allowed us to come out with this fast start.”

How it started

Like so many racers, McLaughlin got his start in a go-kart.

“Six years old, you try anything,” he said. “It was a hobby, and stuff that I did with my dad. We sort of got a couple of years in on the track and was winning a few titles and, obviously, at 8, 9 years old you have pretty big dreams and I wanted to be a race-car driver from that age.

“When I learned I could earn money doing this, it was going to be pretty cool, you know? Yeah, I’m just one of the lucky few who’s turned a hobby into a profession, and (I’m) really privileged.”

McLaughlin and his family moved from New Zealand to Australia when he was 9. That presented a challenge of a different type – changing schools in a different country. But he said that actually helped him in his career as he got older.

“Moving around and having to meet new people and speak to new people and stuff sort of got me almost groomed to speak to sponsors, to speak to people in corporate boxes and suites and, yeah, to just groom me for what was going to happen later on in life,” he said.

Already a contender

Penske teammate Will Power is impressed, to be sure, but it sounds like he’s not surprised at what McLaughlin is doing.

“He definitely can be a contender,” said Power, who is currently second in series points with 69. “He has a lot of experience at a high level. He raced in Australia in a very competitive series in Supercars.”

To get an idea of just how well McLaughlin did during his nine years in Supercars – the last four of which were for DJR Team Penske – he won 56 races and had 76 poles and 106 podiums.

Power said one thing is certain: McLaughlin is not your typical sophomore racer.

“Yeah, he’s more than a step above someone who’d be in their second year, you know, like a young 20-year-old,” Power said. “He’s certainly capable. As you’ve seen, he can win races, he’s good on ovals. Yup, he’ll be a contender, no question.”

Jim Michaelian, CEO of the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach, likes the professionalism with which McLaughlin goes about his business.

“First year around, I thought he did reasonably well for a rookie,” Michaelian said. “Every track you go to is a brand-new experience and no matter how much (simulation) training you have, why there’s nothing like being on the track itself and actually experiencing what it requires to get around quick.

“And I think that’s helped him out in terms of his approach over the winter time and now that the new season is here and he’s returning to a lot of the tracks where he raced at before, he’s run really well and he seems like a very reasoned, focused kind of a driver.”

Michaelian suggested that the way McLaughlin operates, he’s strong enough to stay in the race for a series title.

“And I would suspect that he’ll be in that group along with (Scott) Dixon and (Alex) Palou, who are constantly looking to accumulate points as they go along,” Michaelian said. “And not necessarily always even podium finishes, but most important of all, steady compilation of points so that at the end of the season, I suspect he’s going to be in that top group when it comes down to the final race at Laguna Seca (on Sept. 11).”

Dixon has won six series championships. Palou won the 2021 title in his second year in IndyCar. Both drive for Chip Ganassi Racing.

McLaughlin, 28, believes he is already a challenger to the series title.

“I have no doubt,” he said. “And I’ve never probably had one little bit of doubt in my talent. You’ve gotta have that belief, you’ve gotta have almost that selfishness that you’re better than everyone else.

“But at the same time, I knew I had a lot to learn and still do. I think I believe I’m good enough right now to win the title. But I know that I need to focus on certain areas to make sure my consistency stays the same.”

McLaughlin said he and his crew are always prepared for a race, so they know exactly what they need from the car.

“I fully believe that I’m good enough and, hopefully, I’ll be there in the fight at the end,” he said.

A good showing at Long Beach will help in that regard. McLaughlin was 11th there in September, when the race ran almost six months later than normal because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“It’s a very historic race course,” McLaughlin said. “You understand the history of the place and how dear it is to IndyCar’s heart. So it makes it very cool as a driver to get on there and compete in it there. For me, love the track. I think the track’s a cool layout. It’s tough, it’s difficult.”

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