No. 3 DEX Imaging Dallara/Chevrolet – Scott McLaughlin
Start: 14th
Finish: 11th
Status: Running
Laps Completed: 100/100
Laps Led: 0
Points Position: 15th (-32 pts)
Scott McLaughlin started 14th and finished 11th Sunday afternoon on the streets of St. Petersburg, just missing his first career NTT INDYCAR SERIES top-10 finish.
The Rookie of the Year candidate qualified just outside of the top 12 on Saturday as he lined up in the 14th starting spot Sunday. After the green flag flew, McLaughlin lost a couple of positions when he got shuffled back on a wild opening lap. Despite the first-lap challenges, McLaughlin reported that the DEX Imaging Chevrolet was running well.
McLaughlin dropped to 17th but rallied quickly and was running in 10th place by lap 40. As pit stops cycled through and pit strategies evened out, the DEX Imaging Chevy ran solidly inside the top 10. With 25 laps to go, McLaughlin moved up to ninth in the running order.
Two late-race caution flags provided the opportunity for McLaughlin to make some moves on the wide front stretch during the ensuing race restarts. Team Penske teammate and veteran Will Power was able to get by McLaughlin, however, as the rookie was positioned in 11th place with less than 20 laps to go.
The New Zealand native maintained his position for the remainder of the event as he took the checkered flag just outside of the top 20. The finish moved McLaughlin to 15th in the point standings, now just 12 points outside of the top 10 entering next weekend’s first oval races of the season at Texas Motor Speedway.
Quote: “Yeah, overall a good day for us in the DEX Imaging Chevy. It was a full-on race, very hot, very humid and one of the most physical races I have ever done. Solid race from our end and I was probably a little bit too safe at the start. I was just trying to keep my front wing on. It was pretty forceful out there and a lot of the veterans around me were just using a bit more of their experience on colder tires. We got around in the first stint and we pitted at the right time and we were actually on a very alternative strategy there, that could have almost put us in the lead. Unfortunately, there was a couple of spinners towards the middle of that race. Our team reacted and we pitted and we did the right thing on that strategy, just unfortunately there were no yellow flags. We didn’t use the speed we had in the clear air to really get going, but for me right now its continuously finishing races. Finishing P11 is a great run for us and we will continue to build on that and hopefully come the end of the year we will be bigger, better and stronger. Just want to thank DEX Imaging for their support and am excited for the next few races.”
TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!
