Scott McLaughlin emerged as the top competitor behind Alex Palou in the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on Sunday, delivering a strong second-place finish at the 1.8-mile, 14-turn street circuit. Although McLaughlin’s goal was to surpass all drivers including Palou, his runner-up spot combined with earning a pole position point marked the weekend as a win for the reigning NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion.
Late-Race Overtakes and Strategy Fuel McLaughlin’s Podium Result
The New Zealand driver secured second place by winning a competitive final battle against Kyle Kirkwood and Christian Lundgaard. McLaughlin made a decisive inside pass on Kirkwood at Turn 10 on Lap 94 and successfully defended against Lundgaard’s late challenge. This result marked McLaughlin’s first second-place finish since the 2024 World Wide Technology Raceway oval race 22 contests ago.
Obviously, you want to be top step, but I think that was a solid day for us,
McLaughlin, driver of the No. 3 DEX Team Penske Chevrolet, stated.
I think we maximized our strategy.
McLaughlin reflected on tire strategy, noting that he might have chosen differently:
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.
He admitted that if given another chance, he would have started on the alternate Firestone Firehawk tires like Palou. Palou used his sets of alternate tires to seize the lead and pull away after a mid-race restart, then managed the more durable primary tires late in the race to maintain his advantage.
Dominant Victory for Palou Extends Gap Over Competitors
Palou dominated the closing laps, expanding his lead to over 14 seconds with two laps remaining before winning with an event record 12.4948-second margin. McLaughlin led the race for 34 laps, continuing the momentum built at the end of last season despite not having reached victory lane in 2025.
I think we’ve had a really good run (going) back to the end of last season,
McLaughlin noted.
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.
Street Circuit Podium Confidence and Team Performance Highlights
McLaughlin’s second place in St. Petersburg was his first podium on a street circuit since finishing runner-up at Nashville in 2023 after starting from the pole. This weekend’s pole was his 12th career achievement as he begins his sixth full season in the series.
We made the passes we needed to make at the right times,
McLaughlin said.
Like I said, I think we maximized our day. No mistakes. Pit road (service) was great. Yeah, good start.
His teammate, Josef Newgarden, improved dramatically from 23rd on the grid to finish the race in seventh place, showcasing strong team performance.
McLaughlin Looks Ahead to Phoenix with Optimism
Heading into Saturday’s Good Ranchers 250 at Phoenix Raceway, McLaughlin trails Alex Palou by 13 points in the championship standings, an improvement on last year’s deficit of 15 points after St. Petersburg. While McLaughlin has yet to race at Phoenix, his recent success on short oval tracks provides cause for optimism.
The driver has finished in the top four in three of the last four short oval races and secured his past two victories at similar venues—Iowa Speedway and Milwaukee Mile in 2024.
This positive momentum, combined with tactical skill and vehicle performance, suggests McLaughlin remains a serious contender as the season progresses and looks to close the gap on the current series leader.
