September 18, 2024
McLaughlin scored a fifth place finish at the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix at Nashville Superspeedway on Sunday.
ANALYSISMcLaughlin was able to put together an impressive drive moving up from an 18th starting spot to secure his eighth top-5 finish of the season and lock up third in the final championship standings. McLaughlin's 637 laps led this year were a series high and nearly 300 laps better than second place in teammate
Will Power. McLaughlin also had a series-best five poles this season, two more than any other driver. Speed is certainly no issue for the Kiwi, but it's hard to win a championship finishing 20th or worse in four of the 17 races. McLaughlin and team will look to put together a more complete season and help the 31-year-old to his first IndyCar Championship in 2025.