“Miss my girls”: IndyCar star Scott McLaughlin gears up for daughter Lucy’s ‘first racing season’

Scott McLaughlin shared a picture of his daughter and wife on X and wrote about him gearing up for the upcoming season, which will be his newborn daughter’s first year seeing her father being a race car driver.

McLaughlin joins Ben Keating and Trackhouse Racing drivers from NASCAR, Shane van Gisbergen and Connor Zilisch, for the upcoming Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway.

McLaughlin and his wife, Karly Paone, welcomed their first child, Lucy Violet, on October 10, 2024. The couple first met in 2016 during a trip to Las Vegas, got engaged a year later, and married in 2019. Now embracing parenthood, the McLaughlin family often shares glimpses of their life and milestones on social media, delighting fans with their journey. One such milestone is Scott's first racing season with his newborn.

The New Zealander shared a picture of his wife and daughter on X where he wrote that he missed them:

"Miss my girls. Lucy ready for her first racing season #girldad"

Scott McLaughlin is known for his success in both touring car racing and open-wheel competitions. He made a significant impact in the Australian Supercars Championship driving for DJR Team Penske, where he won three consecutive titles (2018, 2019, and 2020).

In 2021, the New Zealander transitioned to the IndyCar Series with Team Penske and won his first race at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. He continues to show his versatility by participating in this year's famous 24-hour endurance race at Daytona International Speedway.

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Scott McLaughlin and Shane van Gisbergen will team up for the first time

This year's Rolex 24 at Daytona marks the first time Scott McLaughlin and Shane van Gisbergen, two highly successful New Zealand drivers and former fierce rivals in the Australian Supercars Championship, will team up. The pair will share a Trackhouse Racing-prepared Corvette in the GTD Pro class alongside Ben Keating and Connor Zilisch.

"Since Scott and I left Supercars, it's been an awesome relationship. When you're racing for a championship, you're focused on your own world. Even though we had tough moments, we were still friends and had a beer afterward. But now it's completely different, we're working together, and it's so much fun to be driving together," van Gisbergen shared (via Motorsport.com).

Their past rivalry in Supercars, which saw them dominate the series with multiple titles, has transformed into mutual respect and a growing friendship since both moved to U.S. motorsports.

Shane van Gisbergen is set to debut in the NASCAR Cup Series full-time, while Scott McLaughlin is now an established IndyCar driver. Both drivers expressed excitement about working together, emphasizing their shared pride in representing New Zealand on the global stage and their appreciation for each other's skills.

The former called this opportunity a dream come true, while the latter noted how their rivalry has evolved into a friendship as they pursue new ventures in American racing.