McLaughlin began kart racing in 1999 at Kartsport Hamilton and won his first title in 2002. After his family relocated to the Gold Coast in 2003 he competed in both Australian and New Zealand kart titles. He entered the Fujitsu V8 Supercar Development Series in 2010, becoming the youngest driver to race a V8 Supercar, and scored his first race victory in the series in 2011 at Queensland Raceway. In 2012 he won the inaugural V8 SuperTourer Series championship, taking six victories for MPC Motorsport.
McLaughlin made his Supercars Championship debut at the 2012 Sandown 500 as co-driver to Jonathon Webb at Tekno Autosports. He signed with Garry Rogers Motorsport as a full-time driver in 2013, becoming the youngest driver to win a Supercars Championship race with victory at Pukekohe Park Raceway. He remained at the team through 2016, recording seventeen pole positions and eight race victories.
In mid-2016 McLaughlin was announced to join DJR Team Penske for 2017. He dominated qualifying with a record sixteen poles and eight wins but narrowly missed the championship to Jamie Whincup at the final round in Newcastle after receiving three penalties. He won his maiden championship in 2018 — claiming the title after rival Shane van Gisbergen was stripped of a Newcastle victory for a pit lane infringement. His 2019 title defence was dominant: eighteen wins (a single-season record), fifteen poles, eighteen fastest laps, and his first Bathurst 1000 victory alongside Alexandre Prémat. He secured a third consecutive championship in the COVID-shortened 2020 season with thirteen wins.
Speculation about a move to Team Penske's IndyCar programme began in 2019. McLaughlin tested a Team Penske IndyCar at Sebring International Raceway in January 2020 and completed his first oval laps at Texas Motor Speedway the following month, with Will Power praising him as "a phenomenal driver." His debut was delayed by COVID-19 travel restrictions; he ultimately made his IndyCar debut at the 2020 Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on October 25. In his 2021 rookie season he was named Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year after qualifying seventeenth — the highest Penske qualifier — and finishing twentieth after a drive-through penalty for pit lane speeding; Rick Mears mentored him through his Indy 500 preparation. His strongest performances that year came on ovals, including second place behind Scott Dixon in his first oval race at Texas Motor Speedway.
McLaughlin broke through in 2022 with his first IndyCar win at the St. Petersburg season opener, followed by victories at Mid-Ohio and Portland and a fourth-place championship finish. He won at Barber Motorsports Park in 2023 and finished third in the championship. In 2024 he qualified on pole for the 108th Indianapolis 500 and won his first oval race at Iowa Speedway, taking three wins overall and finishing inside the championship's top five.
McLaughlin is married to Karly Paone, whom he met in Las Vegas in 2016; the couple relocated from Australia to North Carolina after the IndyCar move. They have a daughter, Lucy Violet, born October 10, 2024.
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