McLaughlin praises Simpson after “best oval race” in IndyCar

Credit: Travis Hinkle

Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin has heaped praise on Kyffin Simpson after an epic 11-lap battle to the finish for the final podium spot at Nashville Superspeedway on Sunday.

McLaughlin commended the development of the 20-year-old Chip Ganassi Racing (CGR) sophomore and hailed the prolonged side-by-side running as his favourite exchange on an oval as he ends his fifth season as an IndyCar driver.

“I had an absolute blast, man. That was so much fun. Restarts were intense. The exchanges and the restarts were phenomenal,” McLaughlin said. “I have to give massive props to Kyffin Simpson. Probably the best oval race I’ve had. Felt like 2006 or something. 

“Pinned around the outside, gave me some room. If he came up, I was in the fence hard. Big props to Kyff. Really, really happy to race him. I thought the racing out there was really fair. I thought it was a really good, proper goddamn IndyCar oval race.”

The pair ran two-wide from shortly after the Lap 214 restart - after a caution which McLaughlin himself caused by glancing the Turn 2 barrier from the lead - until the chequered flag on Lap 225. McLaughlin restarted in second but lost a position to Simpson’s teammate Álex Palou, after which Simpson found himself making a move to McLaughlin’s inside.

Simpson eventually edged his way marginally up to third in pursuit of a second podium of his second season in the series. But McLaughlin continued to work the high line to ensure it remained a viable option and, in an enthralling climax to his season, he restored his podium position on the final lap - by little over two-tenths of a second at the line.

The Penske man used his experience and, being the last lap of the season, somewhat threw caution to the wind on the final tour.

Credit: Joe Skibinski

“I made sure as soon as he got in front of me, I kept that lane open as much as I could,” McLaughlin recalled. “I didn’t care if I was the only one up there. I used it until I couldn’t. Kept there, kept there. I got a really good run off [Turn] 1, psyched him to go to defend me. 

“I wasn’t going to pass him on the inside into [Turn] 3. I wanted him to go so it cramped his entry. Then I was able to get a really good run through [Turn] 3/4. Basically just held it flat. It was one of those ones where if I’m in the fence, worst case probably sixth. 

“That kid raced me with a lot of respect. He’s getting better and better every week. I really did enjoy racing him. Probably my best battle ever on an oval.”

McLaughlin was actually teammates with Simpson in Tower Motorsports’ LMP2 entry in IMSA for the Daytona 24 Hours, Sebring 12 Hours and Petit Le Mans in 2023. Those three events, which came before Simpson graduated to IndyCar, featured a class victory and overall podium in a chaotic race at Sebring.

Otherwise, with Simpson extremely young and finding his feet in IndyCar, the pair had scarcely encountered one another on track when competing against one another.

“Outside of the LMP2 thing, I haven’t raced Kyffin a tonne - at least on an oval,” McLaughlin said. “I put a lot of trust in what Kyffin was doing. I raced him how I would race Álex Palou or Josef [Newgarden] or anyone like that. He raced me like them. 

“That’s a huge credit to him and his development. I know he’s put a lot of work in to be better, be stronger. Obviously he’s in a Ganassi car, which is strong. We all know that. Still got to pedal the thing. He ran a really good race. 

Credit: Sydney Redden

“I couldn’t believe how long we were side by side for, especially in P3, P4. I thought it would have run out, he would have washed it up. Honestly thought I was in the fence probably four or five laps to go. I was sort of prepared for it. 

“Stellar job by him. I’m no oval veteran - I’ve got a little bit more experience. It was nice to race a dude that genuinely respected the outside lane. Honestly, man, it felt like it was Hélio [Castroneves] and Sam Hornish. It was sick. It was really cool. I was trying to give the fans something. We had a good time. Good kid.”

Simpson’s 2025 season has been one of immense progress. He finished his rookie season 21st in points last season but has scored exactly 100 points more this year, jumping to 17th in the standings from 27 full-season drivers.

His best result in 2024 was 12th - one of only four top-15 finishes. But he has ended his sophomore year with nine results inside the top 15, including six top 10s, three top fives and his maiden career podium on the streets of Toronto.

Still, ovals were a glaring outlier in Simpson’s developing skillset. Heading to Nashville, his best result on an oval was 13th place. But he showed significant improvement in that discipline on Sunday.

“I thought [Simpson and McLaughlin] showed great respect for each other,” admitted Simpson’s team owner Chip Ganassi. “They got out and were shaking hands, laughing and scratching about it. It was good. It was a great race. 

“Believe me, it was as much of a surprise to me as it was to all of you. We were glad to see him up there on these ovals. I was talking with his father, not three weeks ago or something, talking about his development: ‘Put him in this series, that series. Do this. Do that.’

Credit: Sydney Redden

“I said: ‘David, we’ve got to help him on the ovals. That’s where he needs help.’ I almost had to eat those words today. It was great. Happy with his development.”

Simpson ultimately fell just shy of a podium but a fourth-place finish and such an impressive display of oval racecraft offers a springboard heading into his third season in IndyCar.

“It was really fun to see Kyffin from the mirrors,” praised his four-time-champion teammate Palou. “I was trying to help him a little with the tow, trying to play my car on the inside, see if that would give him that mile an hour that he needed. It’s great to see.”

A bittersweet end to McLaughlin’s year

It was an exhilarating end to a trying campaign for McLaughlin, one of the pre-season title favourites. Leading the race in the final 30 laps before making his caution-inducing mistake, there is naturally frustration at having possibly scuppered a first race win of 2025 at the last.

Under pressure from charging eventual race-winning teammate Newgarden, McLaughlin made a misjudgement on Lap 205 as he ran into the marbles and was a wall-bound passenger. He did a good job to save himself from a race-ending moment.

“I felt like I could have held off Josef,” he said. “He was controlling his lane. I just turned a little late, got caught. I dropped the right rear. Once you’re out there, it’s hard to get it back. I tried to save it. Went up the track a little bit. Then I knew I was definitely gone.

“I tried to pedal it a little bit and straighten the wheel when I hit the fence. Thankful I was able to straighten the wheel just before I hit. The car was straight. I was able to push on. It was just about cleaning the tyres off. Benny [Bretzman], my engineer/strategist, was super good on the radio, kept me calm, which is sometimes hard to do.”

Credit: Sydney Redden

The caution allowed McLaughlin to gather himself again but Palou’s prompt pass on the restart denied him the chance to take the fight to Newgarden, meaning he ends a year winless for the first time since his rookie season in 2021.

He does at least end the year with successive podiums after only one rostrum visit in the first 15 rounds of a season littered with inconsistent results. Much of that streakiness has not been McLaughlin’s doing in what has been a freakish year for Penske - their worst since 1999.

With four consecutive top-10 results for McLaughlin, there are hints of momentum heading into the six-month off-season.

“Obviously bittersweet for me. Third is great. Very good end to our season. Great team win,” McLaughlin assessed. “But I’m pissed off at myself. I feel like it’s just been one of those years - haven’t quite put everything together. Had plenty of speed. Very lucky to get a podium today.

“I’m glad Josef won because I would have got a kick up the ass [after the mistake]. I’m very happy for Roger [Penske, team owner]. He’s been through a lot obviously. But he’s a great leader, someone that I respect immensely. It’s just nice to give him some results and give him something to be happy with.”

McLaughlin rounds out the year 10th in points - one point and one position adrift of teammate Will Power and 40 points clear of Newgarden in 12th. But after three consecutive top-four championship finishes and back-to-back thirds, this is McLaughlin’s worst season-long performance since finishing 14th as a rookie.

With so much misfortune riddling and limiting Penske throughout the year, along with some admittedly uncharacteristic lapses in execution and performance struggles, there remains a lot of hope heading forward.

McLaughlin sees the off-season as a valuable opportunity for himself and the team to reset and gain some valuable rest time amid a period of some transition for Penske.

Credit: Dominic Loyer

“I think we’ve had really good speed all year. Not quite Palou. Massive props to him. Everyone needs to be better,” McLaughlin said. “Certainly a different team, different look inside [at Penske]. It’s got a great future. Very excited for the future of IndyCar. I can’t wait to be a part of it. Hopefully we can, as a team, grow and grow. 

“I don’t think I lost a heap of confidence throughout the year. It’s just nice to have a couple good results. It’s bittersweet to end right now, knowing we were coming into our own a little bit, having strong results.

“It’s nice to have this off-season. I felt like we just got our feet on the ground with people. Now we can really work this off-season to be better, work together, smoothen things out. We know exactly where we need to be better. We have the personnel to improve. 

“It’s a long off-season. Is it a needed off-season? I think so. It’s going to be really nice for us. [But] I’m sad as a race car driver I’m not racing my car next week. We’re in a great spot right now. Really genuinely see a lot of light at the end of the tunnel.”