Scott McLaughlin earned his first career victory Sunday in the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. McLaughlin drove his No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet from the pole to victory by .5095 of a second over reigning series champion Alex Palou.

New Zealand native McLaughlin made his series debut at this event in 2020 after winning three straight Australian V8 Supercars championships and then raced in his first full season of open-wheel competition in 2021. He finished 14th in the standings, with a best finish of second, and earned series Rookie of the Year honors

Sitting in front of his winning car in Victory Lane, McLaughlin said: “Thank you to Roger Penske, everyone. Yeah, DEX Imaging jumping on board, trusting me, and then Roger Penske and Tim Cindric giving me the opportunity to come here. I miss my mom and dad dearly and my family. Wish you guys were here. What a day.”

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