‘Jealous’ IndyCar superstar ‘very interested’ to drive in NASCAR

IndyCar ace Scott McLaughlin has expressed his interest in racing in the NASCAR Cup Series. McLaughlin believes that at some point in the future, he will get his first start in stock car racing.

The 29-year-old New Zealander expressed his interest in racing in the Cup Series ahead of the road course race at the Circuit of the Americas. The race attracted many drivers from other racing categories, including Jenson Button, Kimi Raikkonen, Jordan Taylor, and Conor Daly.

The growing popularity of road course races and newly introduced next-gen cars has convinced McLaughlin to race in NASCAR. The Kiwi admitted his interest on the Pit Pass Indy podcast:

"I've always been very interested (in NASCAR). I think it's awesome these guys are trying it. The new cars are allowing drivers like this to drive them, which is a good thing and that's obviously what NASCAR wanted and more road courses which is allowing that also. For me, I'm a little jealous I guess you could say."

Scott McLaughlin is no stranger to tin-top racing, having raced in the Supercars series Down under. The Kiwi earned his reputation driving for DJR Team Penske, winning three Supercars titles.

His association with Team Penske allowed him to move to the United States. Although many speculated that the Kiwi would join the Cup Series, the team realized his potential in single-seater racing, giving him a seat in the IndyCar team.

The 29-year-old also revealed his good relationship with Cup Series drivers Bubba Wallace and Ryan Blaney. He added that the trio played golf together and the two drivers nudged him to give stock car racing a try.

The three-time Indycar race winner spoke about his chances of driving in NASCAR, saying:

"I think there will be a time where it happens hopefully. It just needs to be the right time. I don't know when that'll be and I'll just go off what the big boss says and what Tim (Cindric) says, but I definitely don't doubt that one day that maybe I can have a crack. I definitely think there's a chance."

While he holds on to his dreams of racing in NASCAR, his focus is on the IndyCar Series.

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How did the F1 stars fare in the NASCAR race at COTA?

While Kimi Raikkonen made his second Cup Series start at the Circuit of the Americas, Jenson Button made his debut. Both the drivers managed to finish the race, with Button finishing 18th and Raikkonen 29th.

Raikkonen lost positions on the restarts, struggling with the tires. The 2007 F1 champion described the race as - "there is bit of mess and luck involved."

Button managed to break into the top 20 on the final restart and gained two more places for a respectable 18th-place finish. The Brit thought he was about to lose consciousness in the car due to the heat. At the pit stops, he received water and ice packs to cool down.

It was a tough outing for the F1 drivers as they hustled the low-grip stock cars at COTA.