SCOTT McLaughlin became the 2020 Virgin Australia Supercars Champion-elect today at The Bend Motorsport Park with a second place in Race 30 of the championship to fellow Mustang racer Cameron Waters.
By clinching his third championship in a row – which will become official barring an absolute disaster or some form of points penalty at Bathurst – McLaughlin has written himself into a special place in the record books of the Australian Touring Car Championship and Supercars Championship.
– He’s the first Ford driver to win three straight championships since Ian Geoghegan, who won four in a row from 1966-1969.
– He’s just the fourth driver in championship history to win three titles in a row – he joins Ian Geoghegan, Mark Skaife and Jamie Whincup in achieving this.
– He becomes just the 10th driver in championship history to win the championship three or more times.
– It’s the 10th time a DJR/DJR Team Penske driver has won the Drivers Championship – Dick Johnson won 5, McLaughlin 3 and singles to Bowe and Courtney.
– It’s the first time DJR/DJR Team Penske has ever won 3 Drivers Championships in a row – DJR won back-to-back with Johnson in 1981/82 and then again in 1988/89 but has never won three in a row until this year.
– It’s Ford’s record 27th Australian Touring Car Championship/Supercars Championship championship win.
– It’s the 7th Australian Touring Car Championship/Supercars Championship championship win for Mustang (1965-1969, 2019-2020).
McLaughlin will head to Bathurst without the championship to worry about and a 305-point advantage over Jamie Whincup with 300 points on the line in the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000.
Tim Slade will co-drive with McLaughlin in the #17 Mustang it what may very well be McLaughlin’s final appearance in Supercars with a future beckoning in the IndyCar Series in the United States.
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