Scott McLaughlin made a name for himself as one of Supercars’ greats before chasing his IndyCar dream.
The supremely talented Kiwi became the first driver in history to turn his maiden championship into a three-peat.
At the same time, he flew onto the international radar, impressing in initial IndyCar outings for Team Penske.
Back in Supercars land, the Shell V-Power Racing driver avenged his heartbreaking near-miss in 2017 by clinching his first title 12 months later.
Along the way, he took a season-high nine wins and 13 poles.
There was more to come, McLaughlin smashing Craig Lowndes’ longstanding record for most wins in a single season, reaching the top step of the podium on 18 occasions through a stunning 2019 campaign.
He scored 13 wins in 2020 and left Supercars on a high with title No. 3.
McLaughlin was headhunted by Roger Penske and Dick Johnson’s Stapylton-based squad for 2017 after displaying clear talent during his first four seasons in the category.
Hours after beating Scott Pye, Chaz Mostert and Nick Percat to the 2012 Dunlop Super2 Series title, he made his solo Supercars debut at Homebush after Garry Rogers Motorsport regular Alex Premat was sidelined with heatstroke.
He didn’t waste any time upon progressing to the full-time stage in ’13, qualifying in the ARMOR ALL Top 10 Shootout at the season-opener in Adelaide and winning his first championship race on home soil in New Zealand at the third round.
McLaughlin finished 10th in his rookie season, earning the Mike Kable Young Gun Award.
But it was Adelaide 2014 that really raised his stocks, racing GRM’s new Volvo S60 Supercar with great results – and a memorable post-race interview.
He won five races, took 10 podiums and claimed 10 pole positions on his way to fifth in the standings.
McLaughlin was also awarded the coveted Barry Sheene Medal.
Mechanical issues restricted him to eighth in 2015 before he found a way to put his #33 Volvo third in the 2016 standings.