Scott McLaughlin has won the IndyCar iRacing Challenge season finale after a dramatic final lap saw the Kiwi handed the First Responder 175 presented by GMR at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

 

Despite starting the race on pole thanks to a strong showing in qualifying, the reigning Virgin Australia Supercars Champion lost his lead within the first lap and only led the race for just two laps out of the 70.

 

Remarkably, he was one of 12 drivers to hold the lead throughout the race, but it was his second lead lap that proved to be the one that mattered.

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McLaughlin was a given a stroke of luck not once, but twice, in the wild last lap as all four drivers in front of him wrecked their cars and opened the door up for him to pull off a 'Steven Bradbury' and win the series outright.

 

“I was hoping there was going to be one wreck, and there were two,” McLaughlin told the NBC broadcast.

 

“I thought we were going to get third. We were in the right place at the right time.”

 

Following an incident between Pato O’Ward and Marcus Ericsson, new race leaders Santino Ferrucci and Oliver Askew then crashed, allowing McLaughlin to cruise past for the win.

 

The four drivers then scrambled their way to try and rescue a podium finish, however, it was Conor Daly who passed them to secure second place, while Ferrucci eventually crossed the line in third ahead of Askew and O’Ward.

 

The two final lap collisions wasn’t the only drama during the chaotic race, as Formula 1 star Lando Norris and Australian Will Power were involved in a tense battle nine laps earlier.

 

A huge multicar crash and two further yellow flags saw Norris and Power, who were battling for the lead, ultimately join the growing casualty list as Norris crashed out and Power fall to the midfield and out of contention.