Scott McLaughlin rests Daytona 24 fate in Roger Penske's hands after IMSA test

Team Penske star Scott McLaughlin was at the Daytona International Speedway for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship test for the Rolex 24 at Daytona. The Kiwi driver reflected on the first day of the test and rested his fate in Roger Penske's hands for the 24 Hours of Daytona drive.

McLaughlin drove full-time in the IndyCar series for Team Penske after he made the move from the V8 Supercars championship. However, the IndyCar season ends in August, with the drivers getting a 5-month break. The drivers usually spend these months with their family, on vacation, participating in IndyCar tests, as well as one-off entries in some races.

The 24 Hours of Daytona, currently known as Rolex 24 at Daytona due to the sponsorship, is one of these races that takes place as the first race of the IMSA calendar. It is an endurance race with multiple categories of cars and multiple drivers sharing the same car.

Scott McLaughlin has participated in the Rolex 24 at Daytona three times, two of which were in the LMP2 class, with the most recent entry in 2025 being in the GTD Pro class, driving for Trackhouse by TF Sport Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R.

IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Test - Source: Getty

Ahead of the three-day test at Daytona International Speedway from November 14-16, McLaughlin was called up by the team to test in the GTP class. The Kiwi drove the Porsche 963 on the first day and reflected on the outing. When questioned on whether the Kiwi will be driving the Porsche in the GTP class this January, Scott McLaughlin replied,

“It’s really up to them. The best thing here is that I have these opportunities like this. I’ve done the Corvette stuff in Suzuka and I’ll drive anything. It’s really up to ‘The Captain’ and Porsche,” (via Sportscar365) When he says, ‘We need you for the test to fill in and do a couple of things,’ it’s nice to help them with that and that’s the beauty of Team Penske, just having your fingers in a lot of pies. Ultimately one day, for sure, I’d love to run outright and would love to have a crack at it. At the the same time when the opportunity comes at the right time, I’ll take it,” added Scott McLaughlin

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Scott McLaughlin “having a blast” in the Porsche 963 as he details the difference between the LMP2 and GTP class

Scott McLaughlin had only driven the LMP2 and GTD class cars ahead of his test at Daytona. Stepping into the fastest class of cars, the Team Penske driver shared his feedback, reflected on the test, and detailed the difference between the LMP2 and GTP classes. He said,

“It was cool. We had a good sample and see what it was capable of. It’s just got a bit more power than the LMP2, the way you drive it, it’s kind of similar in some ways. In general I feel a lot better and nice to go into a car that you’ve been in before. The experience of just knowing the car and knowing the track and stuff is a good thing.” “I’m having a blast. I got out and had a big smile on my face. It’s cool to be passing cars instead of looking behind,” added Scott McLaughlin

Any other IndyCar drivers, including McLaughlin's teammate Josef Newgarden, former teammate Will Power, and IndyCar champion Alex Palou, were present at the Daytona International Speedway for the test.

Edited by Pranay Bhagi