Scott McLaughlin defended team owner Roger Penske and said he is more motivated than ever to win the Indianapolis 500 after a week of upheaval within his race team.

Scott McLaughlin believes the Penske scandal was exaggerated and defended team owner Roger Penske on Thursday. It gives him extra motivation ahead of Sunday's race.

"I probably think about the car more than I think about myself in those situations," McLaughlin said in an interview with the Free Press. Start the day smarter. Get all the news you need in your inbox each morning.

Referring to Tim Cindric, Ron Ruzewski, and Kyle Moyer—all of whom team owner Roger Penske fired Monday following the IndyCar Series’ fact-finding mission about Sunday qualify

Indy 500 winner Simon Pagenaud (left) is advising 2024 "500" pole sitter Scott McLaughlin this month at Indianapolis.

IndyStar didn't have a great history when it came to predicting the results of the Indianapolis 500 but that appears to be changing. I'm sure I don't need to remind you who picked Josef Newgarden in 2023 -- OK,

Will Power and Josef Newgarden were among the fastest cars in Indianapolis 500 practice, hours after their teams were penalized for illegal modifications in qualifying.

Roger Penske sat down with Fox to talk about his team's rules violations during Indy 500 qualifying, a conflict of interest, last year's winning car and more.