Q&A: Indy 500 pole winner Scott McLaughlin on his record-breaking speed: ‘The closest you’ve ever felt to being a superhero’
For The Win spoke with 2024 Indy 500 pole winner Scott McLaughlin about driving at 242 mph, his biggest competition and his celebratory (...)
With a lightning-fast four-lap run around Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s iconic 2.5-mile oval, driver Scott McLaughlin won his first Indianapolis 500 pole during qualifying Sunday.
In two minutes, 33 seconds and change, the No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet driver put up a stunning 234.220 mile-per-hour four-lap average speed, breaking the Indy 500 pole speed record set just last year. The Indy 500 field is always fast, but McLaughlin put down an incredible final qualifying run for the pole.
He’ll lead the 33-car field to green for the 108th Indy 500 on Sunday, May 26, and he’ll be joined by two Penske teammates, former Indy 500 winners Will Power and Josef Newgarden, on the front row. It marks the second time in Indy 500 history that Team Penske swept the front row, the first being in 1988.
After McLaughlin won the pole Sunday, For The Win spoke with him about his speedy qualifying run, the race’s high-level competition, his milk preference should he win it all and what he thinks of full-time NASCAR driver but Indy 500 rookie Kyle Larson’s top-5 qualifying position.
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.