Scott McLaughlin targets victory at Mid-Ohio following crucial test
It is a rare and beautiful thing to see a team as storied as Team Penske take such a deliberate step to fix a problem. After a nightmare run at Mid-Ohio last season—where McLaughlin managed only 21st, while Will Power and Josef Newgarden were undone by mechanical issues and a first-lap crash—the squad returned to the 2.258-mile course on June 23. McLaughlin turned more than 100 laps, a massive effort designed to shake off the rust and find the pace that has historically made them a titan at this venue.
There is a real sense of urgency here. McLaughlin has been in a 28-race winless drought, the longest of his NTT INDYCAR SERIES career, and he needs to reclaim his form on permanent road courses. To handle the physical intensity of the track, the team brought in Felipe Nasr to pilot the No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet in place of Newgarden, who is still nursing a left leg injury from the Indianapolis 500. It is a calculated move to ensure they have every possible advantage for the upcoming Honda Indy 200.
As McLaughlin sits seventh in the standings, 126 points back from Palou, he remains defiant. He is a man who knows that in this series, the margins are razor-thin and luck is just as important as engineering. But with his record of four wins on road courses, he is betting that the work they put in during that test will finally be the key to breaking his streak.
