“I'm raring to go but certainly still miss her”: Scott McLaughlin talks about his daughter amid Rolex 24 race at Daytona

Last year, Scott McLaughlin and his spouse Karry Paone entered parenthood with the birth of their daughter Lucy Violte McLaughlin. Since then, the New Zealander has fulfilled his duty of being a sincere father. Now, he's back to his usual business but acknowledges missing his three-month-old daughter.

McLaughlin has recently begun his IMSA racing career. The 31-year-old has had four race starts in the series while amassing a solitary victory at the 12 hours of Sebring. The McLaughlin family had been enjoying the vacation and the Kiwi is now back to racing. He will participate in the 24 hours of Daytona with Trackhouse by TF and said (via News-Journal):

"I was focused on my baby girl. Now, it's kind of been really refreshing because I come back to the track and see all my friends and see everyone. I'm raring to go but certainly still miss her."

In McLaughlin's quartet of teammates, Connor Zilisch is the only one who has won the 24 hours of Daytona. Thus, he would be looking to expand upon this opportunity and win his maiden 24-hour race.

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Scott McLaughlin reflects on teaming up with long-time rival Shane van Gisbergen

Scott McLaughlin (R) and Shane van Gisbergen at the 2020 Supercars Championship: Townsville SuperSprint, Source: Getty

In their time at the Supercars championship in Australia, the Kiwis Scott McLaughlin and long-time rival Shane van Gisbergen often shared hefty blows at each other. The pair soon developed a stark rivalry, but ironically would be acting as teammates during the 24 hours of Daytona this year.

Shedding light on the whole situation, McLaughlin claimed that a friendly relationship had formed between them (via SpeedwayDigest):

"Yeah, it’s funny, it’s weird, actually. We certainly — especially over here now, we go out for dinners and have beers and whatnot and hang out a little bit more than we probably did in the past. But not that we didn’t like each other beforehand, it was just awkward, and now we’re sort of friends and teammates and excited for Daytona.

I head to Daytona for The Roar, and then the 24. It’s such a good start to the year, and I think we’ve got a really good car and a good team lineup."

Regardless of their old woes, the quartet is one of the favorites for the win.