A tiger has been uncaged.
That's how commentators described Kiwi Scott McLaughlin's breakthrough IndyCar win in Florida on Monday but for his family back home, it was just a wave of relief.
“The last six laps, I could have vomited,” father Wayne McLaughlin told 1News in Cambridge.
“The win was that close and you didn't want it to disappear for him. He needed this.”
The pandemic has kept McLaughlin from his family for two years and they've yet to see him race in his new home and new series, making the milestone bittersweet for everyone.
“I miss my mum and dad dearly and my family,” McLaughlin said in his victory lane interview.
“I wish you guys were here, what a day.”
McLaughlin went from pole to victory lane in the St Petersburg Grand Prix but was made to work by 2021 champion Alex Palou.
He also had to manage his fuel and manoeuvre around slower traffic but recalled his experience from Supercars domination to do so and take the checkered flag.
With formalities out the way, McLaughlin was on the phone to speak to those who mattered most.
“We just cheered and yelled at him and he just yelled and cheered at us basically,” mum Diane said.
“I said to him, ‘you've got to stop putting us under this pressure’,” Wayne added.
With the next race in Texas where he finished second last year, that pressure isn't about to let up anytime soon.
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