SCOTT McLaughlin has been reacquainted with the Ford Supercar that powered him to his first main game title.
McLaughlin stopped in at the Penske Racing Museum while in Arizona for the NASCAR Cup Series decider at Phoenix Raceway, where stablemate Ryan Blaney was crowned champion.
The #17 Shell V-Power FG X Falcon, which nowadays resides at the Penske Museum, was particularly significant in McLaughlin’s Supercars career.
It was in that chassis, DJRTP04, that the Kiwi spent his first 57 races as a DJR Team Penske driver, encompassing the 2017 and 2018 seasons.
He made the podium in 37 of those 57 races, fittingly winning on 17 occasions.
Notably, it was the car in which McLaughlin came agonisingly close to winning the 2017 championship, before breaking through the following year.
The Gen2 Mustang then replaced the Falcon for 2019 and McLaughlin added another two titles before heading Stateside to embark on a full-time IndyCar career.
DJRTP06 (McLaughlin’s car for most of 2019) turned up at The Bend in August en route to Arizona.
McLaughlin has established himself as a regular IndyCar contender, finishing third in the 2023 standings.
The Shell Falcon is just the latest reunion opportunity for the 30-year-old, who re-met his 2012 Super2-winning car last year in Adelaide and this year got his hands on the Peter Brock Trophy once more as part of the famous silverware’s across-the-world trip.
