McLaughlin to have Pagenaud in his corner again for Indy 500

Scott McLaughlin will reunite with Simon Pagenaud for another attempt to win the Indianapolis 500.

The Team Penske driver from New Zealand and Team Penske alumni from France who won the great race in 2019 came together last May at McLaughlin’s request. Based on the fruits of their collaboration with pole for the No. 3 Chevy and a career-best run to sixth in the race, the Kiwi asked for the mentorship to continue.

“I've always got along with Simon really well ever since I got here to IndyCar, and the way that he was an open book with me and allowed me to learn off him,” McLaughlin said of his rookie 2021 season spent with Pagenaud as a teammate before leaving to drive for Meyer Shank Racing in 2022. “And I think he looks to me as how Gil de Ferran was to him. He’s one of the best around the Speedway, and he's won the race, he's pole’d the race, he's been right at the front for a long time. I can't ask for a better person to be in my corner.”

Pagenaud is due to arrive at the Speedway tonight and be ready for the start of Indy 500 practice on Tuesday. But he’s already been helping, between his own recovery efforts from a 2023 crash that has kept him on the sidelines, with a steady stream of input and observations in the races leading up to the Speedway.

“He also doesn't want to get in the way,” McLaughlin said. “He's sending me messages every every minute, he's texting (race engineer) Ben (Bretzman) during the sessions he's all in, but he loves it. And I think what I'm really happy with and proud of is I've enjoyed bringing him back to a race track because he's just too good a guy not to be at a race track. He loves the sport too much. He's an absolute professor and a student.

“He’s still on his road to recovery, but to have a guy like that in my corner and be able to give something back to him is really, really cool. Hopefully, it all pays off.”