Scott McLaughlin has responded to the incident which saw him knock former Team Penske team-mate Simon Pagenaud out of the race during the final stages of this year’s Indy 500.
Both drivers had made progress towards the top ten with Pagenaud in 12th and McLaughlin in 13th place behind when, with nine laps to go, one of the races many caution periods came to end with green flags waved for the tightly bunched field.
Ahead of McLaughlin and Pagenaud, Pato O’Ward made a lunge for second place down the inside of 2022 winner Marcus Ericsson at Turn 3, which saw the Arrow McLaren driver end up spinning backwards into the wall – and spark another caution period with 8 laps remaining.
As the yellow flags came out, Pagenaud was bumped by McLaughlin who was close behind, knocking the #60 Meyer Shank Racing entry off the oval and out of the event.
Pagenaud, post-race, took a swipe at McLaughlin – the pair team-mates when McLaughlin arrived at Team Penske full-time in 2021 – suggesting that the #3 Shell-Pennzoil driver should be well aware of his “mistake”.
McLaughlin took to social media to explain that the incident was somewhat unavoidable.
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Wasn’t much I could do here. #77 on my outside, didn’t see the wreck ahead due to being on Simon’s gearbox and my spotter was focussed on Callum. The minute I looked up he was checking up and I had no where to go. I apologised post race to Simon and I’m glad he is ok. https://t.co/rjiymitVVr
— Scott McLaughlin (@smclaughlin93) May 30, 2023
McLaughlin, who started the race from Row 4 in 14th, would also finish the 2023 Indy 500 in the same position, having to watch team-mate Josef Newgarden kiss the bricks as he took his first Indy 500 victory after starting 17th.
Australian Will Power, who qualified highest of the Penske trio in 12th place and topped the penultimate practice session ahead of this year’s 500, came home a disappointing 23rd, five laps down on winner Newgarden.
The NTT IndyCar Series swaps oval competition for street racing this weekend as it heads to Michigan for the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix.
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