Yahoo Autos McLaughlin drained after giving it his all at Indy
Everything was looking rosy for Scott McLaughlin as he led the field into Turn 1 from pole position at the Indianapolis 500. The New Zealander flew high in the No. 3 Team Penske Chevy as he led a race-topping 64 laps, but McLaughlin’s day was a bit like a balloon with a slow leak.
The longer the race went, the lower McLaughlin went as the Indy 500’s most rewarding – or problematic – dynamic played out with the timing of cautions and how they affected pit strategies, and the Kiwi found himself on the wrong end of the equation.
All of those 64 laps spent at the front of the field were produced in the first 125 laps; he’d fall as far back as 11th before recovering to take a rather unrewarding sixth as teammate Josef Newgarden went on to win a thriller in the No. 2 Chevy.
“I just gave it my all, all month,” McLaughlin said. “It’s just emotionally draining. Unfortunately, that’s my best run and I’m upset about it obviously. You’re a competitor. But Team Penske won and that’s the main thing.
“Congrats to Josef. This place just kicks your butt and you’ve got to come back stronger next year.”
