Scott McLaughlin drops 2-word verdict as countryman Ryan Wood realizes 'lifelong dream' in Supercars championship

The camaraderie among racecar drivers runs deep, especially when they are from the same nation. In line with this, Team Penske's Scott McLaughlin has come up with a wholesome gesture for his fellow countryman from New Zealand, Ryan Wood.

Wood recently triumphed in his maiden Repco Supercars Championship race at the Bosch Power Tools Perth Super 440. Rejoicing in his countryman's happiness, McLaughlin shared the following message on his Instagram stories:

"Nice Work."

Scott McLaughlin l Instagram/@smclaughlin93

Following the end of the Supercars race, Ryan Wood came up with the following verdict (via Speedcafe):

“It’s pretty emotional to be honest. My parents have sacrificed a lot for me to get here and to achieve my lifelong dream, just doesn’t feel real. I’m so stoked for my whole team and just kudos to all our partners, the engineering group for coaching me through that race. I just can’t believe it."

Scott McLaughlin, on his end, managed a P12 finish in last week's 2025 Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix in IndyCar (June 1).

Scott McLaughlin's take on his tough P12 Detroit outing

The 2025 IndyCar Detroit Grand Prix was an extremely fascinating race. Quite a few drivers found themselves into the barriers, and Andretti Global's Kyle Kirkwood amassed a shock victory.

While Kirkwood had a dream run in the 100-lap race, Scott McLaughlin, unfortunately, fell backward from his starting position of P7. As already discussed, he managed a 12th-place finish, and following the end of the race, he came up with the following verdict.

"Man, we couldn't have had a much better start to the race than the one we had today. Detroit is unique with the length of pit lane and where the blend line is, so even though we were the last team to make their first pit stop we were able to come out as the effective leader," McLaughlin said via Team Penske.

The 31-year-old further added:

"Obviously, I didn't mean to get into the back of the 6 car. Have to be more aware than that but very proud of the effort by the Tire Rack Chevy guys. We dropped back to 24th after the stop-and-go and through great strategy and a fast car, we drove by to 12th."

Scott McLaughlin has been plying his trade in America's highest class of open-wheel racing since 2020. He has so far managed to amass over 60 race starts and has put on board seven wins, 19 podiums, and nine pole positions.

In the 2024 IndyCar season, McLaughlin operated at an extremely high level to end his 17-race campaign in third place behind Colton Herta and Alex Palou.

Keeping in view that the 31-year-old is currently in eighth place in the 2025 drivers' standings, he has a lot of work ahead of him if he is to finish in the top three. He is on 164 points in comparison to the third-place holder, Kyle Kirkwood (209).

Next up on the race calendar is the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 (June 14 - 15).