By Kirby Arnold, Special Contributor
SPEEDWAY, Ind. — Dominant as Team Penske’s three drivers have been this month at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, they know it will take a perfect performance to win the Indianapolis 500.
Success in practice and qualifying doesn’t always carry into a race where anything can happen. And probably will.
They must hit the right race-day setup, their engines must run without a hiccup, and pit stops must be trouble-free just to get them into a late-race shootout for the lead, which has become common in recent years.
On top of that, there’s luck.
Last year, pole-sitter Alex Palou led much of the race before another car collided with his on pit road. He finished fourth.
“At the end of the day, Indy chooses you,” said Scott McLaughlan, who will start on the pole in his Team Penske Chevrolet.
McLaughlin, Will Power and defending 500 champion Josef Newgarden comprise an all-Penske front row, only the second time in 500 history three from the same team will start 1-2-3. Rick Mears, Danny Sullivan and Al Unser Sr. swept the front row for Team Penske in 1988.
This is McLaughlin’s fourth 500 and his best starting spot by far – he started 17th, 26th and 14th the past three years.
“I understand the race a lot more for sure,” he said. “I think you just build a bit of experience every year, and it’s just invaluable, that experience.”
Few have as much experience at Indy as Power and Newgarden, and each has an Indy 500 ring to show for it. But they also have experienced plenty of frustration.
Power, the 2018 winner, has finished higher than he has started in only five of his 16 Indy 500s. Newgarden is 7-for-12 after his victory last year, when he passed Marcus Ericsson on the backstretch of a one-lap restart after a late red flag.
“A big part of me coming to IndyCar was to be a part of this race,” said McLaughlin, a three-time Australian V8 Supercars champion before he joined Team Penske’s IndyCar effort.
“I’m glad I came to IndyCar. I’m loving every minute of it. It’s been a roller coaster, my Indy 500 experience. I feel like I’ve got a pretty firm understanding of what I want from the car, especially on an oval. It’s just a matter of putting the pieces of the puzzle together, and I think I’m in that frame of mind and that experience level where I can really sort of take it to the next level.”
Team Penske didn’t just…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at IndyCar – Motorsports Tribune…