Supercars champion Scott McLaughlin’s IndyCar race debut has been postponed until July due to the coronavirus outbreak

As the coronavirus forces more reshuffling of the international motorsport calendar, Supercars champion Scott McLaughlin’s dream IndyCar race debut has been postponed.

Scott McLaughlin at IndyCar testing in the US. Picture: AFP

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Supercars champion Scott McLaughlin’s IndyCar race debut has been postponed until July due to the ongoing coronavirus crisis.

The Ford star had been set to make his race debut in the American open-wheel series for Team Penske in the GMR Grand Prix on the Indianapolis road course on May 9.

But that event has now been pushed back to July 4 when it will become part of an unprecedented double-header with NASCAR.

The date switch should still conceivably allow McLaughlin to race as it falls between the Townsville 400 (June 26-28) and the Darwin Triple Crown (July 17-19) — provided no postponed Supercars races are rescheduled for that weekend and overseas travel bans are lifted by then.

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Scott McLaughlin at IndyCar testing in the US. photos supplied

The date for the famous Indianapolis 500 has also been postponed by three months and will now be held on August 23. It will be the first time since 1946 the event has not been held on the American Memorial Day weekend.

“The month of May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is my favourite time of year, and like our fans, I am disappointed that we have had to reschedule the Indianapolis 500,” said Roger Penske, the motorsports titan who finalised his purchase of IndyCar and Indianapolis Motor Speedway earlier this year.

“However, the health and safety of our event participants and spectators is our top priority, and we believe that postponing the event is the responsible decision with the conditions and restrictions we are facing.

Scott McLaughlin at IndyCar testing in the US. Picture: AFP

McLaughlin got his first taste of driving an open wheel car in the United States when he took part in a rookie evaluation test at Sebring International Raceway in Florida in January.

A month later, the DJR Team Penske star impressed when he finished third-fastest in the official pre-season IndyCar test at the Circuit of the Americas.

While on-track action is postponed, McLaughlin will take part in the IndyCar iRacing series, starting this weekend, and the Supercars All Star Eseries, which will begin on April 8.

McLaughlin will chase a third straight Supercars crown when the series resumes. After an opening-round win in Adelaide, the Bathurst 1000 champion leads the championship ahead of Jamie Whincup.

Originally published as Supercars champion Scott McLaughlin’s IndyCar race debut has been postponed until July due to the coronavirus outbreak