THREE-TIME Supercars champion Scott McLaughlin has a chance to do something that only four drivers before him have achieved.
When the 108th running of the Indianapolis 500 gets underway at 2:45am AEST early on Monday morning, it will be McLaughlin starting from pole position.
In fact, McLaughlin will spearhead a Team Penske front-row lockout, completed by Will Power and Josef Newgarden.
Across the history of the famous 500-mile race, the pole-sitter has gone on to win on 21 occasions.
But just four times has that feat been accomplished by a non-American.
Arie Luyendyk was the first international to win the ‘500’ from pole, in 1997.
McLaughlin’s compatriot, Scott Dixon, was next to do so in 2008 before Helio Castroneves (2009) and Simon Pagenaud (2019) – the latter two doing so for Penske.
McLaughlin will soon be gunning to become the fifth.
The 30-year-old is a five-time race winner in IndyCar, but has never before started or finished higher than 14th in the Indy 500.
