Reigning Supercars champion Scott McLaughlin has won the virtual IndyCar iRacing Challenge finale at Indianapolis Motor Speedway after a wild last lap saw the Kiwi take the lead just before the finish line on Sunday (NZ time).
Starting from pole in the 70-lap race, McLaughlin was set to finish the race in fifth, but two crashes involving the race leaders allowed the 26-year-old to claim his second win of the iRacing series.
"Unbelievable," McLaughlin said. "I was hoping there was going to be one wreck, and there were two.
"I thought we were going to get third. We were in the right place at the right time."
The first crash happened when Pato O'Ward clipped the backside of Marcus Ericsson's car, with both drivers falling out on contention and lifting McLaughlin into third.
Moments later as the cars approached the finish line, Santino Ferrucci slipped up the track and into Oliver Askew, allowing McLaughlin to zoom past and secure victory.
American Cono Daley finished second with Ferrucci recovering from his crash to finish third, with fellow Kiwi Scott Dixon in 10th.
McLaughlin celebrated his win with a glass of milk, a nod to the traditional victory celebration at the Indianapolis 500, however he declined to pour it over his head while sitting in his expensive racing simulator.
The Christchurch-born driver was in line to make his real life IndyCar debut at the GMR Grand Prix on the Indianapolis road course on May 10 for Team Penske, but due to the coronavirus pandemic, the race has been rescheduled for July 5 to become part of a historic double-header with NASCAR.
McLaughlin is currently leading the virtual Supercars series, with races contested on Wednesday nights.
