IndyCar: This Scott McLaughlin stat is just plain ridiculous

Scott McLaughlin’s dominance to start the 2022 IndyCar season is best summed up by this statistic following Sunday’s race at Texas Motor Speedway.

Scott McLaughlin may not be two for two to open up the 2022 IndyCar season, something which he was just a couple yards away from being able to say on Sunday afternoon at Texas Motor Speedway.

However, he might as well be, given the dominance he has displayed to open up his second season behind the wheel of the #3 Chevrolet for Team Penske.

McLaughlin took what was then viewed as a surprising pole position for the season opener on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida in late February. He went on to dominate the race, leading 49 of 100 laps around the 14-turn, 1.8-mile (2.897-kilometer) temporary street circuit en route to his first career win.

Then at Texas Motor Speedway, where he scored his best finish of second place in his rookie season last year, he qualified in second and took the lead on the opening lap.

By the time the 248th and final lap of the race around the four-turn, 1.44-mile (2.317-kilometer) oval in Fort Worth, Texas had rolled around, he had led 186 laps. Unfortunately for him, he was passed by teammate Josef Newgarden in turn four and denied what would have been a second victory.

The 28-year-old New Zealander finished just 0.067 seconds behind the two-time champion.

However, don’t let that distract you from just how stellar he has been to start his sophomore campaign.

Through two races, just eight drivers have run all 348 laps. McLaughlin has led 235 of them. Next highest? The other Scott from New Zealand — with just 26!

Newgarden has led just three, all at Texas Motor Speedway.

How many laps did McLaughlin lead last year? Five — all at Portland International Raceway. Kevin Magnussen, a one-race replacement driver, literally led more laps than McLaughlin did last year (six).

Throughout the entire 16-race 2021 season, only three drivers led more than 235 laps. And all led more than 348 laps, which McLaughlin obviously hasn’t had the chance to do yet this year.

Those drivers were Scott Dixon (401), Colton Herta (391), and Newgarden (355). Series champion Alex Palou led only 137, and only one other driver, Pato O’Ward, led more than half of 235 (118).

It’s hard to believe that McLaughlin finished 14th in last year championship standings and almost missed out on Rookie of the Year honors to a part-time driver.

The three-time Australian Supercars champion is showing what he is made of in year number two, and combined with a seemingly revived package from Team Penske and Chevrolet, that is a scary thing for the rest of the grid.