Newgarden, McLaughlin renew IMSA presence in Sebring Test with Porsche Penske

It’s been just over 12 months since Josef Newgarden last sat in a sports car. It’s been just over 12 days for Scott McLaughlin.

Although neither will race in this year’s Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, they spent north of 12 hours this week banking valuable laps and information to help Porsche Penske Motorsport prepare for the event as part of the IMSA-sanctioned test at Sebring International Raceway.

Newgarden, who shared the 2024 Rolex 24 At Daytona-winning No. 7 Porsche 963 with Felipe Nasr, Dane Cameron and Matt Campbell, made his first IMSA appearance since that point as a part of this week’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship test.

The two-time reigning Indianapolis 500 winner is back in the No. 7 car this time around, but the lineup is different as he joins this year’s Rolex 24-winning trio of Nasr, Nick Tandy and Laurens Vanthoor.

“You can see even in 12 months how much progress this team has made, evidenced by what you saw in Daytona,” Newgarden said after doing a few familiarization laps in the morning session. “It was fun to watch. I’m always cheering this group on, and they’re chipping away every single weekend.”

McLaughlin’s sports car landscape is much more recent. He was back at this year’s Rolex 24 to cap off the month of January, sharing the Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD PRO) class No. 91 Trackhouse by TF Sport Corvette Z06 GT3.R with Shane van Gisbergen, Connor Zilisch and Ben Keating.

The New Zealander is enjoying a first this week, with his first laps in the Porsche 963. It’s a fitting track for McLaughlin to do so, as he also had his first ever IndyCar test at Sebring five years ago and was part of the Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) class-winning lineup in the 2023 Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring with Tower Motorsport. McLaughlin is alongside the No. 6 trio of Mathieu Jaminet, Matt Campbell and Kevin Estre.

“I’ll tell you this thing rides a lot better than the P2 car does!” McLaughlin laughed after completing his first 10-plus laps Thursday morning. “I’ve had some great times here at Sebring. The P2 was a lot of fun. This race is a lot of fun. There’s no plan beyond this test; I’m not coming here to race with these guys. It’s more of a chance to drive something.

“It’s my first time in the Porsche. I’ve heard a lot about it. I’ve spoken to Matty (Campbell) a number of times. He’s from Australia, so we’re sort of in the same realm there and I’m from Down Under. It’s cool to share a car with him and learn from him.”

Both drivers have had limited track time in any series all offseason. An IndyCar test next week on Sebring’s short course gives both drivers a chance to resume their full-time duties and re-stretch their muscles.

“Any laps are helpful, but this team is pretty dialed in,” Newgarden said. “It’s about trying to get them data for when they come back for the 12-hour and get reacclimated myself.”

McLaughlin added, “It’s huge for me before my season to get some laps in, get the neck going. I’m taking it lap-by-lap and enjoying it.”

The natural next question is when McLaughlin will make his Porsche 963 race debut. There are no immediate opportunities on the horizon, as Porsche Penske Motorsport has its IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup drivers confirmed for 2025 and a handful of weekends where both IndyCar and sports cars race negate other potential opportunities. The Kiwi took the answer in stride though for what he has to do to make the debut.

“Not crash today, touch wood!” he said.

Campbell posted the fastest lap in Thursday’s first of two sessions, at 1 minute, 48.215 seconds (124.418 mph) around Sebring’s 3.74-mile, 17-turn circuit, which held as the fastest lap of the day. The No. 10 Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac V-Series.R was second at 1:48.576 ahead of the No. 7 Penske Porsche in third at 1:48.713.