Scott McLaughlin is the 2024 Indianapolis 500 pole-sitter after averaging 234.220 mph for 4 laps on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway 2.5-mile oval during qualifying on May 19. His qualifying speed average is the best for a pole sitter (though not the best ever) in race history.

McLaughlin, 30, drives the No. 3 car for Team Penske. It carries bright yellow Pennzoil sponsorship for the Indy 500, a callback to the car Rick Mears drove to victory in the 1984 Indy 500. The car is nicknamed the "Yellow Submarine."

McLaughlin is in his fourth full-time IndyCar Series season after starring in the Australian Supercars from 2012-20 with 56 race wins.

Row-by-row: A guide to the Indy 500 33-car starting lineup

Scott McLaughlin at Indy 500

Where is Scott McLaughlin from?

Christchurch, New Zealand.

How many IndyCar races has Scott McLaughlin won?

5 (2 at Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama, and 1 each at Mid-Ohio, Portland and St. Petersburg). This is 6th IndyCar pole position start (2 at Nashville, 1 each at Alabama, Portland and St. Petersburg).

Scott McLaughlin wife

McLaughlin met Karly Paone, then a teacher from New York, in 2016 and married her in 2020.

Scott McLaughlin is a Knicks fan, but becomes a Pacers fan

He maintained his New York fandom through the 2024 NBA Eastern Conference semifinals. After the Indiana Pacers beat the Knicks, he climbed on board the Indiana bandwagon: "A lot of people have been asking me about what happened with the Knicks last night. I'm a massive Pacers fan right now. F the Celtics. Let's go Pacers. Perfect."

Scott McLaughlin's third-place finish disqualified

McLaughlin had finished 3rd at St. Petersburg in the 2024 IndyCar Series season opener, but series officials later disqualified him (and race winner and Penske teammate Josef Newgarden) after discovering they violated rules around the use of its push-to-pass system.

The loss of points from that race leaves him with 88, tied for 6th, entering the Indy 500.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: 2024 Indy 500 pole sitter Scott McLaughlin drives for Team Penske