Scott McLaughlin has “talked about” contesting a NASCAR race with Penske

IndyCar star Scott McLaughlin has revealed he has held talks with Team Penske about contesting a NASCAR race, but warned such a crossover is not currently possible due to several “complications”.

McLaughlin joined IndyCar in 2021 after a decorated career in Australia’s Supercars series, where he won three titles in a row between 2018 and 2020.

Since then, he has established himself as one of the series’ brightest stars while also making one-off appearances in other categories, including the Daytona 24 Hours.

The Kiwi says he is definitely “interested” in expanding his horizons and joining the Cup Series field for a one-off outing, given NASCAR’s immense popularity in the US.

However, he is aware he would have to overcome several hurdles to make such an outing possible. Chiefly, although he is aligned with Chevrolet and the wider General Motors group, his Penske team races in NASCAR with rival manufacturer Ford.

“We’ve talked about it, but at the same time, I just want to get my finger on the pulse here. My full focus right now is IndyCar,” he said on the On Track podcast.

“I would love to maybe [do it] in the off-season. Could I try to do a NASCAR race outside of our season that wouldn’t impact it? There are so many complications with all that too.

“They run Fords, I’m in a Chevy. I’m a Chevy guy. There are a whole range of things that come into that.

“Honestly, as much as it would be cool, it’s just not on my radar right now.

“There are just too many things, especially with the year we’ve had and I just want to lock in a little bit. But, for sure, [I am] interested.”

A Cup Series appearance would pitch McLaughlin directly against his former Supercars rival Shane van Gisbergen.

The two drivers were Supercars’ main protagonists during the late 2010s, with McLaughlin representing Ford-backed DJR Penske and van Gisbergen driving for the Holden-affiliated Triple Eight Race Engineering.

Van Gisbergen won his maiden title in 2016 and his teammate Jamie Whincup triumphed the following year, before McLaughlin kicked off a run of three titles prior to his move to IndyCar in ‘21.

Van Gisbergen stayed in the championship for two more seasons and equalled McLaughlin’s championship before making his own move to America, albeit in NASCAR.

McLaughlin, who was initially expected to race in NASCAR before joining IndyCar, said he is confident of giving a tough fight to van Gisbergen should he get an opportunity to do a race in the stock car series..

“I definitely think I could give Shane a run for his money, but at the same time, I’m very happy for Shane,” said McLaughlin.

“I’ve always said he’s the one guy over there [in Supercars] that could come over and do this.

“He’s so detailed with everything. He’s very fast. He’ll eventually get the ovals, which will be really good for him and now he’s got some security to do it with his contract [with Trackhouse for 2026].

“Never say never, but just whenever the timing is right.”