McLaughlin on pole as Penske put woes behind them
Getting back in the race car was “the best medicine in the world” for Josef Newgarden. That’s also Kiwi Scott McLaughlin’s “favourite place in the world”.
Team Penske, Newgarden, McLaughlin and Will Power get to end a controversy-filled week tucked into their high-speed sanctuaries for a couple of hours during today’s race at Barber, Alabama, a picturesque road course where they’ve combined for seven wins over the years.
Last week, Newgarden was stripped of his season-opening win at St. Petersburg, Florida, and defending Barber winner McLaughlin lost his third-place finish for manipulating their push-to-pass system. Power was docked series points and also fined, though he didn’t make improper use of the push-to-pass.
Back on the track, Team Penske got much better news in yesterday’s qualifying, when McLaughlin won the pole and Power was secondfastest to set up an all-Penske front row. That successful qualifying came shortly after series and team owner Roger Penske summoned his fellow owners for a meeting.
“Ultimately very proud of Team Penske,” McLaughlin said. “One-two is tough to come by in any series, let alone IndyCar. Obviously after the week we’ve all had, it’s a nice little reward.”
Newgarden didn’t fare as well. The two-time series champion and reigning Indianapolis 500 winner qualified eighth at a track where he won three times from 2015-18.
“I’m here. I’m here with my team,” he said afterward. “I’m ready to rock.”
The race has been nearly an afterthought coming into the weekend, overshadowed by the cloud hovering over Newgarden and Team Penske.
It wasn’t clear what the 87-yearold Roger Penske discussed with his fellow team owners.
Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon won’t start near the front at a track where he has routinely made the podium. He just missed making it out of the first round of qualifying, finishing seventh in his session and qualifying 13th.
The current points leader hasn’t won at Barber despite being a regular on the podium. Dixon has six runnerup finishes there and has been third twice.