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SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN No. 3 DEX IMAGING CHEVROLET
START: 8TH
FINISH: 3RD
POINTS: 10TH (-355)
RACE RUNDOWN: Scott McLaughlin and the No. 3 DEX Imaging Chevrolet team were in position to score the victory late in Sunday’s Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix at Nashville Superspeedway before a late-race bobble on the track resulted in a third-place finish. It was the second podium finish for McLaughlin in as many races as the team rounds into form with momentum heading into an important offseason. After starting from the eighth position, McLaughlin used a strong restart after the first caution period to power to the third position. He would keep the Astemo machine at the front of the field for the remainder of the race as the team alternated through the hard and soft Firestone tires. A great pit sequence on the team’s final pit stop of the day led McLaughlin to pass teammate Josef Newgarden for the lead after blending back onto the track. Unfortunately, as McLaughlin attempted a larger arc into Turns 1 and 2 on the 200th lap of the race, he washed up the racing surface – making slight contact with the outside wall – to allow Newgarden to retake the lead. McLaughlin would drop two additional spots on the subsequent restart after the caution flag for his near spin but would rally back at the checkered flag to just take the third position.
MCLAUGHLIN’S THOUGHTS: “I’m just really gutted for my guys. I just got a little high there. Just trying to protect my entry and, just got too high. I can’t believe the DEX Imaging Chevy was okay. I think it was a little bent at the end, but I wanted a podium bad, and I just kept my foot in it. And the last lap, I just sent it, and I was like, if I hit the fence, I hit the fence. I don’t know. But the handle only went away little bit. But I just held it flat, and didn’t really care if we went in the fence or not. And thankfully, it stuck, and I was glad to get the boys a podium. But congrats to Josef. Congrats to the team Penske. It’s a great end to our year. We were good today. Just not good enough.”
