NTT INDYCAR SERIES News Conference
Thursday May 22, 2025
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Scott McLaughlin – Team Penske
Starts 10th
Q. Scott, we haven’t heard much from you since your crash on Sunday, whole bunch of stuff happened with your team, you lost your strategist. How are you feeling? Where are you at in all of this?
SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Ultimately, those three guys are friends of mine and have done a tremendous amount in my career to get me to this point. I guess you could say there’s a sadness from my perspective.
At the end of the day I drive for Roger Penske. I respect the decision. I understand the decision. We move forward. I think I’m disappointed in some of my peers and people in this room, just how it was taken out of proportion in some ways.
At the same time, I think people forget just what Roger’s done for this sport in general, and that definitely gets thrown to the side a little bit, which I find a hard time not being passionate about that.
But ultimately what’s done is done. This happened. We have to move forward. The penalties are accepted. Personally I think I had the fastest car, I put it in the fence. I didn’t have what was said. Smart people in this paddock know there was no gain with that, you know?
It’s frustrating that this is blown up like it has and it’s cost three people that I’m very close with their jobs. But overall, my view on it right now is just to focus forward and win Roger his 21st.
I tell you what, there’s that much motivation in our garage, within the team, within my stand. I’m excited to work with Ben even closer than I have before. I think we’ve got amazing people coming in from a substitute perspective helping us out, Jonathan Diuguid, Raul Prados, people that have won this race before.
Yeah, you haven’t heard from me because I wanted the chance to just say that. I’m not really going to speak too much more on that.
Q. Scott, you were talking about your peers.
SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: I’m not calling anyone out, Bob. I’m not.
Q. There are people out there who are pointing things out.
SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: There are. There are.
Q. We heard that people told INDYCAR to look at it. Does that make you angry? If you saw something on somebody else’s car…
SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: That’s part of the game, I get it. It’s not the that part. That’s racing. That’s how it is.
It’s just I guess I’m disappointed with how Roger’s name has been thrown through the mud, his integrity, our team, the people on the floor, the people that spend hours away from their families trying to build these cars. Basically they’re being thrown to the mud. I take that personally.
Yeah, yeah…
Q. Scott, you and Ed just made a wager for the Knicks/Pacers series.
ALEXANDER ROSSI: How did that go last night?
SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Real bad. We lost the unloseable.
We had a good wager. I don’t know how Ed is behind Rossi and Rasmussen, but — Edsters, are they called? I have to buy the equivalent — if the Pacers win in six games — if they win in seven, the bet is off, or I win — I have to buy the equivalent up to 2500 bucks of his milk. What is it?
ALEXANDER ROSSI: Coffee. Java.
SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: But, yeah, I’m going to do that.
ALEXANDER ROSSI: What’s funny, I don’t think 2500 will get him there.
SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: That’s why I capped it. Then the other way, if the Pacers win in seven, or Knicks, which I think will happen, we have to figure it out, but buy some steaks from Good Ranchers maybe, donate to charity, I don’t know. No one gets much out of this, apart from maybe Ed’s reputation.
Q: About someone moving a port-a-potty in front of his bus door
SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: The port-a-potty — I was actually out for dinner. I’m not happy about that, by the way. Whoever did that pissed me off again. It’s been a wild couple days. I’m ready to go. Ready to swing.
The porta-potty blocked the door to get in my bus. I was worried for Karly and my daughter. I respect the prank game, but they got to think a little bit. Whoever it is, they’re going to go down hard (smiling).
Q. (No microphone.)
SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: I moved it myself. You should have seen me out there just pushing this sloshy little porta-potty around. And moving my golf cart. I thought it was someone else. I parked the golf cart next to their bus, said person, and left the reverse light on. It was, like, 11:30 at night. They had to come out and turn it off. Which they did. It was funny. I saw them do it at the time.
Q. (No microphone.)
SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Yes, yes. It’s a guy that said goodnight to everyone. I thought straightaway it was him. I don’t think it was. Seems too lame for Colton. He was hanging out with us on Monday night.
CONOR DALY: Colton said earlier he was waiting for someone to play a prank on him.
Q. I’m curious, the verbiage, with somebody else new on a timing stand, is that something you want to get down in tomorrow’s practice, or is that something where it’s already down and you’re on the same page?
SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: No, we’re good. Me and Benny have known each other for a long, long time now. He’s one of my best friends. It sounds crazy, but we play a lot of video games together, we talk together all the time, we hang out. I’m excited to work with Ben. Even on test days he takes over that part of the role. It’s not an unknown voice that I’m hearing.
Q. Scott, you’re in the team backup car, if memory serves. The team spends months building these cars. In theory the backup car shouldn’t be as primed as the prime cars. Do you feel like it’s going to be close to what you originally had or too far off?
SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: No, it’s right there. It’s a brand-new car, brand-new chassis, brand-new speedway car. It’s a purpose-built speedway car.
Unfortunately in the circumstance we have a crash like this, we had a car like that ready to go. Just bolted my race motor, all the race uprights, everything that I had one earlier in practice.
Honestly Monday felt very close. We just had a couple things not quite at upright that affected some setup and stuff. Ironed that out, had a good week to prepare, and things should be just as fast.
Q. Scott, you said you’re determined, you’re motivated if you got the fastest car that should have won the pole, probably would have happened. You’re going to race your way up to the front. How long do you think it will be before the 2 and 12 will be able to get up there with you?
SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: I’m not taking for granted. It’s going to be a tough race regardless. I know we have fast cars. Everyone feels that way, as well.
I don’t know. For me, I’m not worried about their race. I’m focused on my own.
But we know what we need to do to sort of keep ourselves in the game. I’ve said it all month. It’s been so nice to be able to come into a month where I was up the front a little further than I had been in my career. I understand the cadence a little bit more, you could say.
But yeah, not really focused on what they’re doing. I’m just focused on myself.