By John Goolsby, Prep Sports Editor
The Trussville Tribune will provide extensive coverage of the Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix at Barber Motorsports Park in Leeds. IndyCar drivers Felix Rosenqvist, Santino Ferrucci, Scott McLaughlin, and Birmingham’s own Michael Suco, Jr., a rookie in the USF Juniors series, will be spotlighted.
Scott McLaughlin returns to Birmingham looking for a win and redemption.
The New Zealander’s last NTT IndyCar Series victory came last year at the 2023 Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix.
After a fourteen-race drought, he and his “Thirsty 3s” Team Penske crew want to again put the #3 Team Penske Odyssey Battery Chevrolet in victory circle.
The three-time Australian Supercar champion is looking for redemption after he and his Penske teammate, Josef Newgarden, were stripped of their podium finishes in the series’ season-opening race in St. Pete last month.
IndyCar handed down penalties to Team Penske yesterday for illegal use of Push to Pass boost on starts and restarts during the event. Push to Pass provides the engines with an estimated fifty extra horsepower.
IndyCar issued the following statement yesterday:
An extensive review of data from the race on the streets of St. Petersburg revealed that Team Penske manipulated the overtake system so that the No. 2, 3 and 12 cars had the ability to use Push to Pass on starts and restarts. According to the IndyCar rulebook, use of overtake is not available during championship races until the car reaches the alternate start-finish line. It was determined that the No. 2 and the No. 3 gained a competitive advantage by using Push to Pass on restarts while the No. 12 did not. Additionally, all three entries have been fined $25,000 and will forfeit all prize money associated with the streets of St. Petersburg race.”
The penalty gave Arrows McLaren driver Pato O’Ward the win and stripped Newgarden of his victory and points; McLaughlin was stripped of his third-place finish and points.
Team Penske’s Will Power was docked 25 points but was elevated to second place from his fourth-place finish in the race. As a result of the penalty, McLaughlin fell from 10th to 29th in the points standings.
McLaughlin released the following statement Wednesday night:
“First and foremost, I am proud to be a member of Team Penske. I fully stand with everyone one of my teammates. Simply put, a mistake was made. I have the highest level of integrity and it is important to protect both my own reputation and that of the team. I was not aware of the situation with the software. In this instance, I used a single, very brief (1.9 second) deployment of push to pass in a section of the track, exit of Turn 9, where it is typically utilized throughout the race. I hit the button out of habit, but I did not pass any cars, nor did I gain any time advantage. The data, which IndyCar has, confirms all of this information. While I accept the penalty, I want to be clear that I did not gain an advantage over my competitors. IndyCar’s competition is the best in the world and I would take no pleasure in achieving success in any way other than honestly. We will all press forward from here and focus on the task at hand this weekend at Barber.”
McLaughlin followed up the St. Pete with a second-place finish in the non-points event at Thermal in California.
Last week’s race on the streets of Long Beach was one to forget for McLaughlin. After showing good pace and having good practice sessions, he qualified 11th due to a mistake in qualifying.
McLaughlin ultimately finished the race in the 26th position after a faulty gearbox forced him to retire early on lap 70 of the 85-lap event.
While the season has taken an unexpected turn on the track, McLaughlin is much more comfortable off the track this year compared to previous seasons.
“I think the biggest thing for me is just slowly getting my feet down here in America,’’ he said. “Going through visa processes, trying to sort out credit, and lots of stuff like that takes quite a toll on you mentally.”
“Having a lot of my off-track business things squared away has definitely helped from a mental standpoint,” he said. “I feel really comfortable heading into the season, but even towards the last season, I felt like we really just started getting comfortable in our surroundings.”
After three championships, 56 wins, 76 pole positions, and 106 podiums in 253 Supercar races, McLaughlin has adapted to open-wheel cars remarkably well.
McLaughlin is proud of his old series and is happy to see fellow Supercar veteran Shane van Gisbergen find success in the U.S.
“Well, it is gratifying,’ he said. “Supercar has built an amazing series that is very tough.”
“I think it just shows you for myself and Shane to come over here and to compete with some of the best drivers in the world; it shows how well-bred the series is down under for building really good race drivers.”
“We really enjoy the challenge of coming over here,’ he said. “I’ve spoken to Shane a couple of times about a lot of things and we really enjoy the challenge of being here.”
McLaughlin is excited about his return to Birmingham and Barber. “It is such a pretty place,” he said. “And the commitment level really rivals some of the most scary tracks I’ve ever been on, like Bathurst [Mount Panorama] or anything like that.”
“It is very undulating, high commitment and we always get a massive crowd here, which is awesome as well,” he said. “The crowd always comes out to support IndyCar which sets a good vibe for the weekend and year as well.”
“I really enjoy the challenge of driving a high aerodynamic car and heading into some high-speed corners with the G-loads, and the G-loads go to the steering wheel as well, and the Gs go so high, and it becomes quite physical,” the Kiwi said. “But it’s a lot of fun, and it’s something I really enjoy.”
McLaughlin hopes Barber is just what he and his team need to get their 2024 season back on track.
The Children’s of Alabama Grand Prix takes place April 26-28. Race fans can purchase tickets at indyalabama.com or by calling 877-332-7804.
Tickets were sold in 41 states and 12 countries last year and the economic impact to the Birmingham area was between $18 and $27 million.