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Fox Sports
22-05-2025
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Simon Pagenaud Teaching Indy Secrets to Eager Pupil Scott McLaughlin
INDYCAR Scott McLaughlin has an intense determination to conquer the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. That was evident in his meticulous preparation for last year's race, driving the No. 3 Pennzoil Team Penske Chevrolet. 'I think my racing career isn't complete until I win this race,' McLaughlin said. 'I just genuinely want to win this race out of everything on this planet. Even more than Bathurst 1000. For me it's everything.' Seeking every possible advantage, McLaughlin reached out to Simon Pagenaud – the 2016 NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion and 2019 Indy 500 winner – for advice on mastering the nuances of the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval. Pagenaud hasn't raced in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES since July 2023, when he had a violent, barrel-rolling crash at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course while driving for Meyer Shank Racing. Their conversation, rooted in Pagenaud's winning experience with Team Penske, proved invaluable. 'I really enjoy working with him (Pagenaud), because it sort of brought it back to the Speedway, brought him back to something he loves,' McLaughlin said. 'He's really intense too, like, his preparation is next level, but it's bringing the next level for me.' The results spoke for themselves. McLaughlin not only demonstrated his growth but also made history in the process. He led a stunning Team Penske front-row sweep, the first time a team accomplished that feat since Penske in 1988, by capturing the NTT P1 Award with a record-setting four-lap qualifying average of 234.220 mph — the fastest pole speed in Indy 500 history. Pagenaud admitted he was in Virginia on the provisional qualifying day last year with his family, but broke away to see McLaughlin qualify. He noticed something that could help the pole run, so he phoned McLaughlin with advice. It worked. 'He's such a great student because he doesn't take anything the wrong way,' Pagenaud said. 'He has no ego, and he believes in what you tell him. He believes in it so strongly that he just does it. And he has this ability that's extraordinary.' The bond between them has blossomed into more than just a mentor-mentee relationship. They have a deep-rooted camaraderie built on mutual respect, shared values, and a love for the sport. The working relationship is closer this year, as Pagenaud has been in the Team Penske pits since practice started last week to help McLaughlin instead of being at the track just on Race Week. For McLaughlin, who admits to being a high-intensity personality, Pagenaud's composed and cerebral approach offers critical balance. Pagenaud, who was raised with a focus on hard work, meticulous note-taking and performance optimization, has become a calming influence for McLaughlin, particularly during the grueling Month of May leading up to the Indy 500. 'If you're at 100% intensity level the whole time, you're going to burn yourself out pretty quick,' McLaughlin said. Pagenaud helps manage that intensity, sending focused messages each morning to help his protégé stay mentally sharp and composed. Pagenaud's own journey took a dramatic turn after the harrowing crash at Mid-Ohio, halting his racing career. While navigating recovery and family life, he wasn't actively seeking a new role in racing. But when McLaughlin called asking for guidance, Pagenaud didn't hesitate — not because he needed something to do, but because of the character of the person asking. 'I wouldn't do this with any other driver because I appreciate the values that he has as a person, as a human being,' Pagenaud said. 'He has immense talents. I wish I had some of his talents. If you could put what I know and what he knows together, to me, that makes a really amazing package.' Their collaboration is aided by a shared familiarity with Team Penske, as McLaughlin's crew is essentially the same group Pagenaud worked with during his Indy 500 victory and championship run. That continuity makes the transition seamless and the emotional stakes higher. Pagenaud feels a different kind of pressure in this new role. 'It's obviously quite different,' Pagenaud said. 'I'm more stressed watching than I was driving. It's tough to send your friend to battle like that and take the responsibility that you might tell him something that could put him in danger.' Still, the trust between them runs deep. McLaughlin respects Pagenaud's input, and Pagenaud knows he's advising someone who's not only talented but also profoundly professional. And behind it all, there's a sense of gratitude — from Pagenaud, for the continued support of Team Penske after his accident and for the chance to still make an impact in the sport he loves. In many ways, their partnership is more than just about racing – it's about resilience, legacy, and the quiet strength of friendship. 'I'm trying to put myself in his shoes,' Pagenaud said. 'Obviously, driving into this track is always very emotional, even so now, because I'm very nostalgic of the great success I've had. I'm very grateful again. That makes for emotions to come out a bit. But I'm also very focused on trying to think about all the details I used to think about. 'When he goes out there, I'm trying to think exactly how I was thinking. And it's kind of reliving my life through his life. It's weird, but it allows me to. He gets it, and I don't have to force it. I just talk to him like I would talk to myself, and then he drinks it. He drinks like a fire hose. He can drink a lot. He's pretty impressive.' recommended
Fox Sports
24-04-2025
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Scott McLaughlin Gets Biggest Boost, Alex Palou Fastest in Race Trim
INDYCAR The two names atop the speed charts Thursday came as little surprise on the final day of the Indianapolis 500 Open Test, which featured two segments with distinct engine performance setups. Last year's Indy 500 pole winner Scott McLaughlin was fastest during the morning session at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which featured the same elevated turbo boost levels as 'Fast Friday' practice May 16 and PPG Presents Armed Forces Qualifying on May 17-18. McLaughlin's top lap was 232.686 mph in the No. 3 Pennzoil Team Penske Chevrolet, the fastest trip around the 2.5-mile oval in two days of testing this week. SEE: 'Boosted' Results | 'Race Trim' Results | 'Boosted' No-Tow Results | Overall Test Results 'We had a really good day, a good couple of days,' McLaughlin said. '(I) felt like we got through a lot from a hybrid perspective. 'Then I felt like the morning qualifying session – the high-boost session – was a bit of a crapshoot. (There were a) couple yellows. When the track got better, it was a bit dirty from some of the shunts, as well. Then everyone was trying to cram a lot into 40 minutes. But overall, a really solid (car) balance to kick off the Month of May.' Three-time and two-time reigning NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Alex Palou topped the speed charts during the afternoon session, which featured boost levels reduced to the same levels that will be used on Race Day for the 109th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge on Sunday, May 25. Current championship leader Palou's top lap in the afternoon was 223.993 in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. 'You need to keep on always chasing it and trying to make it better,' Palou said. 'Trying to make it more comfortable when running in traffic, trying to make it faster when you're alone. That's the car that gives me a chance (to win), for sure.' Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Takuma Sato was second fastest in the 'boosted' session in the morning with his lap of 232.565 mph in the No. 75 AMADA Honda of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. Sato's lap also was the fastest of the test without the benefit of an aerodynamic 'tow' from the slipstream of a leading car. But Sato's glory was short-lived and showed the risks of living on the edge of a lightning bolt with cars in tricky, low-downforce, high-boost qualifying setups. Sato had completed just eight laps in the morning session, with his best lap on Lap 3, when his car made heavy contact with the SAFER Barrier in Turn 1 and came to a stop in Turn 2 with heavy damage. 2017 and 2020 Indy winner Sato was uninjured, but the sight of his crumpled race car specifically built and massaged for the '500 was painful. 'I lost it; I simply lost it,' Sato said. 'It's hard. My body is fine. It's just the car … I lost the car. That's heartbreaking.' 2018 Indianapolis 500 winner Will Power was third in the 'boosted' session at 232.278 in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, followed by Felix Rosenqvist at 232.100 in the No. 60 SiriusXM Honda fielded by Meyer Shank Racing. Palou rounded out the top five at 231.843. All but two of the 34 cars on track returned to running in thickets of traffic in the afternoon session to simulate Race Day. Long Beach winner Kyle Kirkwood was third in the afternoon session at 223.362 in the No. 27 Andretti Global Honda. Conor Daly was fourth at 223.298 in the No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet, while two-time reigning '500' winner Josef Newgarden rounded out the top five at 223.255 in the No. 2 Shell V-Power NiTRO+ Team Penske Chevrolet. Sato wasn't the only driver to contact the SAFER Barrier Thursday. 2024 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year Kyle Larson also crashed in the morning session, hitting the SAFER Barrier in Turn 1 in the No. 17 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet before secondary contact in Turn 2. 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion Larson was unhurt, but like Sato, he didn't return to the track for the rest of the day. Larson is attempting May 25 to race the 'double' of the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Chevrolet enjoyed a solid rebound Thursday, as Chevy-powered drivers took two of the top five spots in each of the sessions. Honda engines powered nine of the 10 fastest drivers Wednesday. Over two days of testing, the 34 drivers combined to turn 5,804 laps, or 14,510 miles. Up next for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES is the Month of May, highlighted by three points races. May racing starts with the Children's of Alabama Indy Grand Prix on Sunday, May 4 at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama. Then action shifts to the IMS road course for the Sonsio Grand Prix on Saturday, May 10 before 'The Greatest Spectacle in Racing' on Sunday, May 25 on the IMS oval. FOX, the FOX Sports app and the INDYCAR Radio Network are providing live coverage of all three races.
