‘NASCAR is the obvious goal’
AMONTH ago, Roger Penske — a man in motorsport with more influence, experience, and farreaching success than most — confirmed that he’s spoken to Kiwi Scott McLaughlin about a future in NASCAR.
‘‘I think that opens the door for him to take a look around. Tim [Cindric] and I will look at strategies and what our [NASCAR] driver lineup will be in the future. I know [McLaughlin] wants to come over here, and certainly he deserves the chance to drive here,’’ Penske said.
McLaughlin is still fresh from claiming his first Supercars Championship crown; a first for both the 25yearold and for Penske’s Shell VPowerbacked DJR Team Penske race team. Off the back of the successful season, McLaughlin helped write and release a book about the feat; titled Road to Redemption.
And in that book, he’s expanded on the swirling NASCAR discussion.
‘‘I’m asked a lot about America and my NASCAR ambitions,’’ he writes. ‘‘Obviously with an American fiancee it’s something that is a serious factor, and Karly would like to move back to be with her family one day. But for now I have to keep kicking goals here. I know if I continue to do a good job the spoils will come.
‘‘I have massive respect for what
Jamie Whincup has achieved with his seven championships, but I’m not sure I could keep doing what he’s doing, year after year. If I was able to tick off a championship and a Bathurst win in the next halfdozen years or so I would consider doing something else.
‘‘If the opportunity came up to try something Stateside I’d jump at it. And NASCAR is the obvious goal. NASCAR is a dream of mine and Roger Penske and the team know that.’’
McLaughlin is one of a circle of drivers in Supercars who have dipped their toes in overseas competition.
Shane van Gisbergen remains a ringin factory driver for McLaren, while Chaz Mostert holds a similar role with BMW’s GT3 and GTE programme.
While van Gisbergen’s made no indication of being interested in relocating to Europe, BMW made a curious play last weekend for Mostert; offering him a fulltime deal for 2020 that aligns with the end of his current deal to race with Ford Supercars outfit Tickford Racing.
‘‘That’s something Chaz has to decide — where does he enjoy himself most. Is it mainly in Australia? Or is it on a bigger scale?’’ BMW Motorsport boss Jens Marquardt said. ‘‘And then obviously, yeah, I would be absolutely happy to talk to him about plans that we could do together . . . He is one of the superstars down here, and to have him for a few events out of Australia, and give the world a bit of a taste of Chazzy, is a good thing.’’
It’s a curious thing, really. The last time a driver in Supercars upped and left to pursue an international career, it was Marcos Ambrose. Depending on your perspective, that move was either a reasonable success (underlined by wins for a team that’s sparingly visited victory lane since) or a failure, given the lack of toplevel longevity.
One difference here is that McLaughlin is in his mid20s, while Ambrose was approaching his late 20s when he committed to the move in 2005. Another big difference is that unlike Ambrose, McLaughlin is already part of Penske’s global operation — something that could prove invaluable as time goes on. — Driven.co.nz