“It was a blast”: When Scott McLaughlin reacted to wild battle with Colton Herta at Milwaukee

After winning a twist-filled second race at Milwaukee Mile in Wisconsin held on September 1, 2024, Penske driver Scott McLaughlin shared his reaction to his epic battle with Andretti Autosport driver Colton Herta. McLaughlin's third victory of the season came in the #3 Chevrolet, which he described as not 'quite good at the start'.

It was McLaughlin’s seventh career win in his fourth full season in the NTT IndyCar Series and his second consecutive short oval victory, following his win at Iowa Speedway earlier in the season. A late caution involving Sting Ray Robb’s crash set up a final pit stop and allowed McLaughlin to emerge ahead, giving him a clean run to the finish. He crossed the line just 0.4558 seconds ahead of his teammate, Scott Dixon.

In his post-race comments, Scott McLaughlin described the head-to-head with Colton Herta as one of his most enjoyable experiences in IndyCar.

"Honestly, it was a blast racing Colton for the lead. That was the most fun race I’ve had in INDYCAR. We just stuck with it. The car wasn’t quite good at the start, and we just tuned her up, and it was awesome. A lot better in traffic today, which helped a lot," McLaughlin shared in his post-race interview as quoted on the official IndyCar website.

"I knew he was there. I slid up a little bit. He pinched me. We hit. It was, like, proper. It was so cool. Like being in the Supercar again. You’re just banging doors. This place is nice because you haven’t got much banking. It’s like a big road course," he added.

The late-race caution brought another twist as pit strategies came into play. McLaughlin’s crew executed a flawless stop, setting him up for the final laps with clear air ahead.

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Teammate cost Scott McLaughlin and Shane van Gisbergen a shot at glory in Daytona

Scott McLaughlin teamed up with fellow Kiwi Shane van Gisbergen for last week's prestigious Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona. Their Trackhouse Racing team with a TF Sport-sponsored Corvette GT3 entry, also included Connor Zilisch, an 18-year-old American driver, and veteran Ben Keating.

The group competed in the GTD class and looked for a strong finish. However, with just over an hour remaining, Zilisch spun at Turn 1 while battling for position, colliding with an LMP2 car.

This incident earned the team a drive-through penalty and dropped them out of contention. They ultimately finished ninth in their class and 25th overall.

"This race is awesome and I’m so glad I got to be a part of it for my second time. I’m really frustrated with my final two stints. We had a really good shot. We were third, saving fuel, and would have been good there for that last run if I didn’t make that one mistake and get a drive-through," Zilisch reflected on his performance after the race as reported by Frontstretch.

With a missed chance of a class victory in the Rolex 24, Scott McLaughlin and Shane van Gisbergen will focus on having a good season in their respective series in IndyCar and NASCAR.