Motorsport: Scott McLaughlin delivers perfect response to IndyCar cheating scandal, claims pole position for Alabama Grand Prix

Scott McLaughlin celebrates his pole position in Alabama. Photo / Getty Images

Kiwi Scott McLaughlin has delivered the perfect response to the IndyCar cheating scandal, and taken pole position for Monday’s Alabama Grand Prix.

The 30-year-old will start at the front of the grid on Monday morning (NZ time), as he and teammate Will Power locked out the front row for Team Penske.

McLaughlin put in a best time of 1m 5.949s, narrowly ahead of Power’s 1m 6.046s.

“It’s been tough,” McLaughlin said. “This means a lot.

“We’ve just got to keep focusing like this for the rest of the season and keep working hard.

“Any time you get a chance to get a Team Penske front row, that’s the main thing. I’m very proud of everyone.”

The result is McLaughlin’s first pole of the season, and sixth in his IndyCar career.

McLaughlin returns to Alabama with history on his side, after winning the same race last season.

On Thursday (NZ time), McLaughlin had his podium finish at the season-opening St Petersburg Grand Prix stripped, as he and his Penske teammates were found to have breached IndyCar’s push-to-pass regulations.

Scott McLaughlin in St Petersburg. Photo / Getty Images

Push-to-pass enables drivers to temporarily boost their car’s power, however only during certain times in a race.

McLaughlin’s teammate Josef Newgarden was stripped of his victory, while Power was handed a 10-point penalty.

While accepting responsibility for his part in the scandal, McLaughlin has also defended himself by pointing out he gained no advantage for the period in which he exploited the push-to-pass rules.

Newgarden has also accepted full responsibility for his role, and will start Monday’s race eighth on the grid.

The scandal has seen McLaughlin fall to the bottom of the IndyCar championship standings, with just five points from the opening three races of the season.

However, McLaughlin did finish second at IndyCar’s $1 million challenge, albeit for no points given the cash prize on offer instead.

Championship leaders Scott Dixon, who won in Long Beach last week, will start 13th on the grid, as he bids to close the gap even further on American icon AJ Foyt.

Dixon has won six career championship titles with 57 race victories. Foyt has seven championships and 67 race wins in his career.

Fellow Kiwi Marcus Armstrong will start sixth on the grid, after he came away with a best time of 1m 6.9022s in the fast six shootout.

Alex Powell is an Online Sports Editor for the NZ Herald. He has been a sports journalist since 2016, and previously worked for both Newshub and 1News.