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Scott McLaughlin has revealed he had doubts about his move to IndyCar in his rookie season, as his bid for the 2022 title remains just alive.
Seven drivers are in mathematical contention to win the series with two races to go, at Portland and Laguna Seca, with a total of 54 points on offer at each event.
At 54 points behind series-leading Team Penske team-mate Will Power, McLaughlin is therefore one of the real outsiders, but it is still a far cry from his first full season in IndyCar.
Last year, he finished 14th in the series standings with a single, fortunate podium to his name.
This year, he has won twice, missed out on another two victories by a total of 0.1736s, qualified on pole position twice, and scored a total of six podiums.
“Heading West for the final 2 races of the year,” the three-time Supercars champion wrote on social media.
“We’re still a shot for this championship, be it a longer one than others, but a shot.
“There were times last year where I wondered why I made the jump from Australia to the USA.
“But I knew the harder I worked with my team, on myself, we had the potential to do some cool things.
“I’m super proud of my whole team this year, the #thirsty3s have proven a force to be for many years to come, regardless how these next 2 weeks go!
“No regrets, full tilt these next 2 races and see where we shake up! Lessssgo!”
The top six is an even split of three Penske drivers and three of Chip Ganassi Racing’s, with McLaren SP’s Pato O’Ward 58 points off the pace in seventh.
Power’s margin over team-mate Josef Newgarden is just three points, with Scott Dixon and Marcus Ericsson within 17 points of top spot, while Palou is 43 points in arrears of the lead.
Track action at Portland starts on Saturday morning (AEST), with Practice 2, Qualifying, and the race itself live and ad-free on Stan Sport.
