LONG BEACH, Calif. — Devlin DeFrancesco won’t apologize for being passionate and Scott McLaughlin won’t apologize for thinking he was wronged when the two had contact prior to the start of the INDYCAR race a few weeks ago at Thermal.
Their argument after the race went viral.
DeFrancesco wasn’t going to take the blame without voicing his opinion to the Team Penske driver.
Ironically, the two drivers are pitted next to each other this weekend for the Grand Prix of Long Beach.
“I figured we were going to be close,” McLaughlin said. “I went and saw the 30 car crew [of DeFrancesco] yesterday. They’re putting their pit [area] together. I said, ‘Boys, at least I know my neighbors, but at least I hope I’m not yelling and screaming here on Sunday.'”
DeFrancesco said his Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing team works hard and has a fight in them.
“It’s the heat of the moment, right? And it was after a tough day and very disappointing after the pace that we had,” DeFrancesco said. “This is my life. These guys, especially RLL, … we fight every weekend going out.
“So I was passionate about it. Scott and I spoke, we’ve cleared the air, we’ve moved on and we’re looking forward to the rest of the season, and this weekend in Long Beach.”
McLaughlin also wanted to move on quickly.
“I don’t need to have a beef with Dev,” McLaughlin said. “I don’t have beef with anyone. But I’m not going to shy away from the fact that I thought it was a bonehead move, and that’s just how it is.
“But sometimes people like that [or] people hate that if you’re up front about it. Dev, full credit [to him] that we’ve got on with it, and there’s no hard feelings.”
DeFrancesco’s fiery demeanor might have surprised some, but it did not surprise Graham Rahal, the veteran leader and driver of the team.
“I see it every day. That dude is a fiery little guy,” Rahal said. “Don’t mistake the size of [him for] the size of the heart. He’s an energetic dude. I certainly see both sides and that’s what I told him because he reached out to me.
“There wasn’t a lot of room given to him, that’s for sure. He obviously came in a little hot, but also the guys at the front were getting ready to go so everybody in the back is feeling the rush that you’ve got to go. You’ve got to catch up to the pack or you’re going to miss the green flag.”
McLauhglin, a three-time Australian Supercar champion, said it was good for the sport to see that emotion.
“That’s what I like about INDYCAR racing or American motorsports. You shouldn’t shy away from showing your displeasure, and that’s a good feeling,” McLaughlin said.
Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and INDYCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass.
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