Scott McLaughlin believes Team Penske is beginning to overcome the early-season growing pains that have hampered its 2026 IndyCar campaign, as the New Zealander looks to end a 27-race winless streak at one of his strongest circuits, Road America.
The second half of the 2026 NTT IndyCar Series season begins this weekend at the iconic 4.014-mile, 14-turn permanent road course in Wisconsin, with McLaughlin occupying seventh place in the championship after nine of the scheduled 18 rounds. While the statistics show two podium finishes and five top-10 results, the 33-year-old insists the numbers only tell part of the story.
Driving the No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet, McLaughlin believes a combination of strategic setbacks, unfortunate incidents and an evolving race engineering structure has prevented him from converting strong pace into victories.
Mid-season assessment
McLaughlin offered an honest appraisal of his performances during the opening half of the campaign, awarding himself a respectable but unspectacular mark.
“I’d give myself a B-minus, maybe a B,” he admitted. “I was never an A-grade student. I’ll take the pass grade and move on, but as a team we want to keep winning races.”
His most recent victory remains the penultimate race of the 2024 season at Milwaukee, leaving him without a win across 27 consecutive IndyCar races. Despite that drought, McLaughlin insists his confidence behind the wheel has never been higher.
“I’m a racer, I’m competitive and I want to win,” he explained. “At the same time, it is what it is. We’ve had chances and we’ve had the speed to do it. That’s all I can ask for. It just hasn’t quite gone our way.
“Sometimes that’s racing. I’ve had periods before in my career where I’ve gone 18 months or even two years without a win. It’s part of the sport.
“I honestly feel I’m driving as well as I ever have. The level of competition in IndyCar is incredibly high. When opportunities come along, you have to take them, and that’s probably where we’ve fallen short over the past year and a half. If we keep putting ourselves in contention, eventually the results will follow.”
Road America offers renewed optimism
Road America has frequently been one of McLaughlin’s strongest venues since joining IndyCar from Australian Supercars.
Although his record includes only a single podium finish, he has regularly demonstrated race-winning pace around the flowing Wisconsin circuit.
| Scott McLaughlin at Road America | Record |
|---|---|
| Career starts | 5 |
| Podium finishes | 1 |
| Top-10 finishes | 3 |
| Best finish | Podium |
| Current championship position | 7th |
McLaughlin believes previous races at Road America have slipped away through strategy rather than outright performance.
“I feel like the last two years we’ve led the race at some point,” he said. “It’s just the way the strategies have worked out that hasn’t been ideal for me.”
The circuit’s combination of long straights, sweeping corners and varying fuel strategies often produces unpredictable races, something McLaughlin believes could work in his favour.
“It’s a track that requires a lot of strategic thinking, especially if a caution comes at the right—or wrong—moment. I’ve loved it ever since I came into IndyCar. I always feel competitive there.”
New leadership on the timing stand
One of the biggest changes for McLaughlin in 2026 has come away from the cockpit.
Team Penske reshuffled his engineering group over the winter, pairing him with race engineer Raul Prados while veteran strategist Tim Cindric assumed responsibility for race strategy and radio communication. Although the combination possesses enormous experience, McLaughlin acknowledged that adapting to new voices and working methods inevitably required time.
“There have definitely been some teething problems,” he admitted.
“I’ve actually had to tune T.C. up on a couple of things—how loudly he’s talking, what I want to hear at different points during the race. He’s been really receptive to that.”
According to McLaughlin, the relationship only began to fully gel around the Long Beach weekend after a difficult opening phase of the season.
“The first couple of races at St Petersburg and Phoenix were a little bit interesting,” he said. “Nothing we couldn’t manage, but it takes time getting used to different people on your radio and how they communicate during different situations.”
He also highlighted the growing influence of Team Penske technical director Dave Faustino, another experienced figure who has become an increasingly important member of his engineering team.
A championship still within reach
While championship leader Alex Palou continues to set the pace, McLaughlin remains firmly in contention for a strong finish if Team Penske can convert its improved speed into consistent results.
The team’s victory at World Wide Technology Raceway, courtesy of teammate Josef Newgarden, reinforced the belief that Penske has rediscovered its competitive edge after an inconsistent opening stretch.
For McLaughlin, the priority is now straightforward: continue refining the team’s operational performance while ensuring opportunities are not squandered when they arise.
Despite the frustration of an extended winless spell, he remains convinced that the foundations are in place.
“It’s been fun,” he said of working with the new engineering structure. “I’d be lying if I said it hasn’t taken longer than I expected. Since moving from Supercars to IndyCar, this is probably the biggest change I’ve experienced within my own team.
“But we’re building something. Every weekend we’re understanding each other better, and that’s encouraging.”
As the championship enters its decisive second half, Road America represents more than simply another race weekend. For McLaughlin, it offers the opportunity to transform encouraging performances into the victory that both he and Team Penske believe has been overdue for some time.