Scott McLaughlin delivered a standout performance Sunday at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, finishing second behind reigning NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Alex Palou on the challenging 14-turn, 1.8-mile street circuit. Despite Palou dominating the event, McLaughlin’s combination of speed, strategy, and determination earned him a valuable runner-up spot and a point for securing the pole position, marking a successful beginning to his IndyCar season.
Key Battles and Strategic Decisions in the Late Stages of the Race
During the final laps, McLaughlin engaged in a fierce battle with Kyle Kirkwood and Christian Lundgaard. He passed Kirkwood with a decisive move around the inside of Turn 10 on Lap 94 and then managed to hold off the pursuit from Lundgaard to secure second place. This finish was McLaughlin’s best since his runner-up result in the 2024 oval race at World Wide Technology Raceway, a streak spanning 22 races.
“Obviously, you want to be top step, but I think that was a solid day for us,”
McLaughlin said, driving the No. 3 DEX Team Penske Chevrolet.
I think we maximized our strategy.
McLaughlin reflected on tire choices, admitting he would have changed his approach in hindsight. Unlike Palou, who strategically started on the alternate Firestone Firehawk tire compound to gain an early advantage, McLaughlin began on the primary tires, which didn’t deliver the expected performance during his first stint.
I think it was going to go one way or the other with (tire selection). I maybe thought (Firestone’s primary compound) could have probably performed a little bit better in (our) first stint, but my car just didn’t probably turn that tire on well enough.
Palou’s Dominance and McLaughlin’s Race Leadership
Palou capitalized on the alternate tire timing to pull away at mid-race and extended his lead to over 14 seconds by the final two laps, finishing with an event-record margin of 12.4948 seconds. McLaughlin, however, led 34 laps, maintaining momentum from the end of last season, when he achieved two third-place finishes during the final two oval races at Milwaukee Mile and Nashville Superspeedway despite no wins in 2025.
“I think we’ve had a really good run (going) back to the end of last season,”
McLaughlin said.
I thought we found our mojo a little bit and then this weekend, as well.
He added,
“I knew this was going to be a strong track (for us), so I had to make the most of it.
Significance of the Podium Finish and Continuing Team Efforts
This second-place result marked McLaughlin’s first podium on a street circuit since the 2023 race in Nashville, where he also finished second after starting on pole. The pole achieved this weekend was the 12th in his career as he begins his sixth full season competing at the series level.
“We made the passes we needed to make at the right times,”
McLaughlin remarked.
Like I said, I think we maximized our day. No mistakes. Pit road (service) was great. Yeah, good start.
Adding to the team’s strong showing, teammate Josef Newgarden advanced from 23rd on the grid to finish seventh, demonstrating competitive depth for Team Penske Chevrolet.
Outlook as McLaughlin Prepares for the Good Ranchers 250 at Phoenix
Looking ahead, McLaughlin enters this Saturday’s Good Ranchers 250 at Phoenix Raceway trailing Palou by 13 points. This deficit is slightly improved from last year’s similar position following the St. Petersburg race, when he stood 15 points behind the four-time series champion. Despite having no previous starts at Phoenix, McLaughlin remains optimistic, given his recent successes on short oval tracks, including race wins at Iowa Speedway and Milwaukee.
