Indycar: Australian McLachlan wins opener at St Petersburg

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

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Scott McLaughin backed up the speed of his first career pole position with his first NTT IndyCar Series victory Sunday, winning the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg over defending series champion Alex Palou and teammate Will Power.

McLaughlin, 28, led the final 21 laps after inheriting the lead on a pit stop by fellow New Zealander Scott Dixon, who was on a different strategy. He fended off a furious charge by Palou after the defending series champion was helped by McLaughlin getting held up by Jimmie Johnson, Palou’s Chip Ganassi Racing teammate, with 12 laps remaining.

But McLaughlin, who led 49 of 100 laps, held on after losing 2 seconds off his lead after Palou got within a car length.

“I’m exhausted,” McLaughlin told NBC Sports’ Marty Snider. “What a day. I’m out of breath here. It was crazy. I really struggled the last couple of laps to keep my head and save the fuel, but we did it. It’s unreal. Love you in Australia and New Zealand and miss you guys.”

It was only the second podium finish in 18 IndyCar starts for McLaughlin, a three-time Australian Supercars champion who had a best finish of second at Texas last year.

After placing 14th in the points during a quiet rookie season, he entered the 2022 vowing to take a more vocal role on and off the track for Team Penske — and he accomplished both in his first race of the season.

“Oh my gosh,” said McLaughlin, whose family remains in Australia because of pandemic restrictions. “Mom and dad, my sister, I know you guys are watching at home.”

Rinus VeeKay, finished fourth, followed by Colton Herta, Graham Rahal, Romain Grosjean, Scott Dixon, Christian Lundgaard and Takuma Sato.

After McLaughlin dominated in leading the first quarter, the race’s complexion changed with the first caution on Lap 25 for rookie David Malukas hitting the wall.

McLaughlin led a parade of lead-lap cars into the pits, which cycled Alexander Rossi (the only driver who had yet to stop) into the lead ahead of Scott Dixon, Pato O’Ward, Josef Newgarden, SimonPagenaud, Kyle Kirkwood, Felix Rosenqvist, Devlin DeFrancesco, Dalton Kellett, Jack Harvey, Rinus VeeKay and Callum Ilott.

McLaughlin was in 13th as the first driver out of the pits.

The race stayed caution-free, which cycled McLaughlin back into first on Lap 62.

Traditionally known for a plethora of yellows and wrecks on the tight downtown street course, the season opener was unusually clean Sunday.

But Lap 1 produced its usual drama into the Turn 1 right-hander as a record-tying 26 cars scrambled for position at the first corner.

The big mover was Pato O’Ward, who zoomed from 16th to ninth on the first lap with a series of bold inside-outside passes through the first two turns.