Scott McLaughlin set to quit Supercars to pursue Indy Car dream
This weekend’s Bathurst 1000 will be Scott McLaughlin’s last leaving DJR Team Penske scrambling to find potential successors for the Indy Car bound champion.
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The V8 king is set to relinquish his crown with Scott McLaughlin expected to quit Supercars following a final 1000km fling on Sunday.
News Corp Australia can reveal his all-conquering team have made discrete inquiries about replacing their star driver with McLaughlin widely tipped to make a full-time switch to IndyCar.
In the first firm indication that this weekend’s Bathurst 1000 will be McLaughlin’s last, DJR Team Penske have secretly sounded out Anton de Pasquale, Will Davison and Brodie Kostecki as potential successors for the three-time series champion.
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Sources claim the names of the three drivers have already been put to team sponsors as potential replacements should McLaughlin earn a full-time IndyCar deal.
Making no secret of his desire to race in America, McLaughlin has already scored a one-off Indy drive with the Ford flyer set to race in the season finale in Florida on October 25.
The 27-year-old Kiwi will strap down for Penske Racing in an opportunity that is expected to earn him a full-time IndyCar deal.
“You should ask Roger Penske that,” said McLaughlin, who will fly out to the US first thing on Monday morning.
“Right now, it’s an opportunity, I’ve got a return flight home coming home in early November and I’ve got a contract here with DJR Team Penske,” McLaughlin said.
“So regardless of what happens whether we go well or Roger (Penske) plucks me out whatever, I have got an opportunity, I’ve got a job here in Australia which is going to be easy enough for me in the future.
“I head to St Petersburg basically as a sponge and just try and soak everything in and enjoy it and see how we go. It’s a really big icing on the cake of what’s been an awesome year.”
But there are not just questions over the star driver‘s future with speculation also over Penske’s ongoing involvement in the Supercars squad.
McLaughlin has been the team‘s poster boy, dominating the series with three consecutive championship wins.
DJR Team Penske team principal Ryan Story said the Ford squad was not approaching this weekend’s race as if it were McLaughlin’s last in the series.
“Our focus is solely to win that race,” Story said.
“Scott has got a wonderful opportunity ahead of him and it’s a pretty quick turnaround going from a touring car to an open-wheeler car in the space of a week.
“It’s going to take a herculean effort from his part to be able to adjust.
“He has got the 16-hour flight to settle out of the rhythm from his Mustang to get ready to jump into his IndyCar for the weekend.
“But he has got a wonderful opportunity there and that was originally supposed to happen in May before we were struck with the coronavirus pandemic and he deserves the opportunity and we certainly wish him very well with it.
“He has said previously he has got an agreement and a contract with us to continue going racing and we’ll keep pressing ahead with those plans.
“As soon as we get through Bathurst, and our focus is entirely on Bathurst as it stands, we’ll be setting up big screens and watching all the action from St Pete and seeing how Scott does in what is quite a challenge and quite an opportunity for him.”
The future of McLaughlin’s teammate also remains in doubt amid suggestions that Fabian Coulthard is Matt Stone Racing bound.
WHY WHINCUP WANTS RIVAL TO STAY
Holden star Jamie Whincup wants his championship rival Scott McLaughlin to keep racing in Supercars next year so they can “battle on” in another title fight.
As speculation continues to mount this weekend’s Bathurst 1000 – and this 2020 season – could be McLaughlin’s last in Supercars ahead of a move to race in IndyCars, Whincup said he hoped his Ford combatant would be back to renew their on-track rivalry.
Seven-time Supercars champion Whincup lost his title duel with McLaughlin this year after the DJR Team Penske star opened up an unbeatable 305-point lead at the Bend last round to seal his third consecutive title.
Whincup last defeated McLaughlin in the Supercars title race in a thrilling finale to the 2017 season and finished third behind the Ford ace and his Triple Eight teammate Shane van Gisbergen the past two years.
The Red Bull Holden Racing Team star said he relished his battles with McLaughlin and wanted another crack to avenge his title defeat.
“I certainly hope Scotty is there next year just so we can compete again,” Whincup said.
“I enjoy the battles and enjoy the competition and I have enjoyed the fight this year.
“I am proud of the fact that we got up in ‘17, but disappointed he and his team have had the better of us the last three years.
“So hopefully we get another opportunity to battle on.”
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Less than 24 hours after the end of the Bathurst 1000, McLaughlin will fly out to the United States on Monday morning to make his IndyCar debut for Team Penske at St Petersburg in Florida on October 25.
He already completed successful rookie testing for the team at the start of the year.
While Whincup was eager to race again against McLaughlin next year, the four-time Bathurst champion did not think the sport would suffer if it was to lose one of its biggest stars.
“I think the series is much bigger than any individual and that includes everybody, drivers or teams or everything like that,” Whincup said.
“So the series will continue on no problems at all.”
Originally published as Scott McLaughlin set to quit Supercars to pursue Indy Car dream