Scott McLaughlin believes the work Team Penske put in during a test June 23 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course could pay dividends in the The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the 2027 CR-V Hybrid on Sunday, July 5.
The team selected the 2.258-mile natural road course in Lexington, Ohio, as one of its limited in-season testing opportunities after enduring one of its toughest weekends there in recent memory a year ago.
McLaughlin completed more than 100 laps during the test, exceeding Sunday's 90-lap race distance. He was joined by teammate David Malukas in the No. 12 Team Penske Chevrolet, while Porsche Penske Motorsport sports car driver Felipe Nasr substituted for Josef Newgarden in the No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet.
Newgarden did not participate in the test as he continues recovering from the left leg injury he suffered in a Lap 124 crash during the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge on May 24.
Although Newgarden has competed in every race since the accident, at Detroit, World Wide Technology Raceway and Road America, Team Penske elected to have Nasr handle testing duties because of Mid-Ohio's physical demands. Newgarden wore a walking boot and used crutches during the Road America weekend.
"It's a track we've been good at in the past, but last year we struggled," McLaughlin said. "We're trying to bring back that form."
There was plenty of motivation.
McLaughlin led Team Penske with a 21st-place finish last season at Mid-Ohio. Will Power finished 26th after a mechanical problem on Lap 11, while Newgarden crashed on the opening lap and finished 27th. Qualifying also proved difficult, with Newgarden starting 18th, McLaughlin 21st and Power 22nd.
Despite that disappointing weekend, Team Penske remains the second-winningest organization in Mid-Ohio history with 12 victories, trailing only Chip Ganassi Racing's 13. McLaughlin won there in 2022, while Newgarden captured victories in 2017 and 2021.
The team also has remained competitive despite a lack of recent wins, placing at least one driver on the podium in three of the last four Mid-Ohio races, though it has converted only one of those into victory.
McLaughlin believes the additional preparation will help Team Penske return to the front and aid the Kiwi in ending the longest winless streak of his NTT INDYCAR SERIES career.
McLaughlin (photo, above) has not visited Victory Lane since winning at the Milwaukee Mile in 2024, a drought of 28 races. But four of his seven career series victories have come on permanent road courses like Mid-Ohio.
"You always have to have confidence, no matter what," McLaughlin said. "It's a bit of a drought right now, but I feel like we have all the ingredients to win a race. It's just so hard to win in the INDYCAR SERIES right now.
"Anything can happen, and you've got to be on the right side of the luck."
McLaughlin enters Mid-Ohio seventh in the standings, 126 points behind Palou and nine points behind fifth-place Pato O'Ward, who won in 2024 at Mid-Ohio. Newgarden is eighth, one point behind McLaughlin.
The upcoming schedule also features tracks where McLaughlin has enjoyed success. He finished fifth and third, respectively, in his last two starts at Nashville Superspeedway, which hosts a race July 19, and won in 2022 at Portland International Raceway, site of a race Aug. 9.
"We're just past the halfway point, and we have a lot of racing left," McLaughlin said. "The championship is very tight at the front, and for guys like me, if we can win a couple of races and go on a run, you never know what can happen.
"You can't count yourself out. You just keep working and keep trying to win races."
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