Bathurst-winning McLaughlin Mustang won't race again
Scott McLaughlin's Bathurst-winning Penske Mustang won't race again, the team opting to park it after its heavy hit on the Gold Coast yesterday.

It's one of two cars to suffer career-ending shunts on the streets of Surfers Paradise, Chaz Mostert writing off his Tickford Mustang in Saturday's Top 10 Shootout.
It's also the second Bathurst winner to be taken out of active service in as many rounds, the 2017 David Reynolds/Luke Youlden car wiped out by Anton De Pasquale's nasty crash at Mount Panorama earlier this month.
DJR Team Penske has confirmed that the McLaughlin car will be repaired following the frightening GC shunt, however not in time for the upcoming Sandown 500.
With plans already in place to retire the car at season's end, DJRTP has decided to fast-track the build of a new Mustang earmarked for 2020, which McLaughlin will now debut next time out.
The crashed chassis will then be repaired over time, fitted with the panels and engine that it won Bathurst with (which were all removed following the Mount Panorama triumph), and retired from active competition.
"The damage is quite extensive, there’s bends and kinks and ripples in the floor past the firewall, which is never a good sign," said DJRTP boss Ryan Story.
"To repair that chassis when we have intentions of retiring of it since it’s a Bathurst winner doesn’t really make a lot of sense.
"We’re very fortunate to have a brand-new chassis at the shop and we’ll build that up over the course of the next few days and race that at Sandown."
Read Also:
McLaughlin debuted the car in Adelaide to open the 2019 season, taking it to a record-breaking 18 wins including the Great Race.
Once restored the car will go in display at DJRTP HQ in Queensland, Story not prepared to go through the de-registration process required to deliver it to Team Penske's US base.
"It’s too current. The [2018 title-winning] Falcon probably will, next year, but this thing is too current," he said.
"We want to keep it in Bathurst-spec. To send it over we’ll have to cut the undertray out of it and I want it to be the Bathurst car."

Previous article
Walkinshaw could provide Stanaway lifeline
Next article
Supercars planning combined Super2/Super3 series for 2020

About this article
Series | Supercars |
Drivers | Scott McLaughlin |
Teams | Dick Johnson Racing |
Author | Andrew van Leeuwen |
Bathurst-winning McLaughlin Mustang won't race again
Trending
Sam Brabham drives BT-19 at Mount Panorama
Todd Kelly builds André's Bathurst 1000 engine
Can DJR still be a Supercars powerhouse after Penske?
Roger Penske's whirlwind Australian Supercars sojourn is over. After six seasons, three drivers' titles, three teams' championships and a Bathurst 1000 crown, The Captain has sold his controlling stake in Dick Johnson Racing back to the squad and walked away from the category.
Can Whincup be Triple Eight's ruthless leader?
Supercars' most successful team of the past 15 years is set for a radical shakeup next year when Jamie Whincup retires from driving and takes over the reins at Triple Eight. But does he have what it takes to be the new Roland Dane?
How a lifetime Supercars deal broke down in one year
David Reynolds inked what was effectively a lifetime deal with Erebus in 2019 – only to walk out a year later. What went wrong?
Why Supercars now needs a new "human salt harvester"
Scott McLaughlin has been a controversial figure in Supercars over the past few years but, as he heads off to a fresh challenge in IndyCar, the Australian tin-top series needs to find someone else to fill his drama-filled boots as the category enters a new era...
Why 2020 isn't McLaughlin's greatest title
Scott McLaughlin was quick to describe his third Supercars title as his best yet. But even though it didn't match the dramatic backstory of his 2018 triumph, there's a good reason for him wanting to control the narrative this time around.
Why a Bathurst finale is risky business for Supercars
The Bathurst Grand Final may provide Supercars its greatest spectacle yet – but there's a risk it will force the series to face a hard truth.
Why Scott McLaughlin must become an IndyCar driver
Scott McLaughlin, two-time and current Supercars champion, should have been making his NTT IndyCar Series debut for Team Penske at the GP of Indianapolis, but the Covid-19 pandemic forced a rescheduling that has put the brakes on his career switch. But David Malsher-Lopez explains why the New Zealander deserves this opportunity as soon as possible.
Tickford's 10-year wait for James Courtney
When the Supercars season resumes James Courtney will be a Tickford Racing driver – but it's not the first time the star driver has flirted with the famous Ford squad.