NOWHERE on the IndyCar circuit does Scott McLaughlin flourish more than Barber Motorsports Park.
The Team Penske driver’s last three visits to the Alabama road course have produced two wins (2023 and ’24) and a third-place result last year.
McLaughlin will head there this time around with a solid foundation to build from, coming out of the season-opening tripleheader fifth in the points.
The #3 Chevrolet placed second at St. Petersburg and eighth in Phoenix before limiting the damage following a qualifying crash on the streets of Arlington with a recovery drive from 25th to 11th.
That effort has kept him within touching distance of the series lead, at 41 points back from Kyle Kirkwood.
“I put us on our back foot in qualifying but the guys rallied and put forth a solid effort,” McLaughlin reflected, after scoring the Hard Charger of the Race Award.
“Today wasn’t a huge points hit and now we go to Barber which everyone knows is a place that I love.”
McLaughlin also made a point of praising the brand-new Texas street circuit.
“Have to give a tip of the hat to Penske Entertainment for what they put together in Arlington,” he said.
“This was a spectacle of an event.”
Arlington is one of three new street circuits on this year’s IndyCar calendar, along with Ontario and Washington, both of which will debut in August as part of a run of five successive race weekends to close out the season.
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