Why McLaughlin is wrong to label 2020 his best title

Scott McLaughlin wasted little time in declaring his third Supercars title as his best after his advantage over Jamie Whincup stretched to an unassailable 305 points at The Bend, with only the Bathurst finale to go.

He had even started campaigning before wrapping up the title. Last Saturday night, when he still needed to grow his advantage over Whincup by another 37 points, he set out his stall.

"Whoever loses is not going to call it a championship, or is going to be a little salty," he said. "And then whoever wins is going to say it meant the most.

"Yeah it's been a mixed-up calendar, we've had double-headers and stuff we've never seen before. But if anything, for me, it's made the championship more difficult. It's been a lot more about the camaraderie within the team, continuing the momentum that you have and learning on the run.

"Especially at a place like Townsville where we struggled, we really needed to hit back there or we were going to lose a heap of points. And we did. That's what I've really enjoyed about 2020, it's the ups and downs and the peaks and troughs."

On Sunday, with the title in his pocket, he made the declaration official.

"It's been satisfying this year because we've silenced a lot of the critics from last year," he said. "The people that were talking bad about the team and whatever.

"We've bounced back in adversity. It's been hard for everyone, but putting it all together in a season that's been very inconsistent, not knowing where we're all going and stuff, that's probably the proudest moment for us.

"This one, for me, I feel like this is the most satisfying out of them all. It's a privilege to win one, but to win three is awesome."

Only McLaughlin can truly judge each campaign. He knows exactly what went into each, the physical, mental and mechanical barriers that needed breaking to get the job done. But, as remarkable as his 2020 season has been so far, it's a surprising choice - simply because 2018 is so hard to top.

The first of McLaughlin's titles was beyond special. He was left broken by his 2017 defeat but, with the ageing Falcon FG-X platform at the very end of its development potential, he took on Triple Eight and its brand new ZB Commodore and won

The first of McLaughlin's titles was beyond special. The guy was left broken by his devastating final-round defeat to Whincup at the end of 2017 but, with the help of renowned sports psychologist Emma Murray, he bounced back in 2018.

With the ageing Falcon FG-X platform, at the very end of its development potential, he took on Triple Eight and its brand new ZB Commodore and won in a second-straight showdown on the streets of Newcastle. It was incredible stuff, worthy of a screenplay.

Perhaps McLaughlin is genuinely of the opinion that this latest triumph is better. It's certainly not been without its own brand of 2020 drama. But it could also be that he's cleverly controlling the narrative, to not let the pesky 'a' word get in the way. Asterisk.

McLaughlin has been down this path before. As he referenced above, the 2019 season was every bit as controversial as it was triumphant for the Kiwi and his DJR Team Penske squad. And the critics he speaks of were real.

It all started when the then-new Ford Mustang caused an uproar thanks to its clearly superior aerodynamics and low centre-of-gravity. Paired with an in-form McLaughlin it was unstoppable, and that ruffled a lot of feathers up and down the pitlane.

Then, right as the ongoing aero tweaks started to level the playing field, the Bathurst 1000 happened. There was a curious pre-race engine change, the qualifying unit later failing technical checks. And the well-publicised 'debris' saga that led to DJRTP being slapped with a record-breaking $250,000 fine and opened the door for rivals to, with good reason, question the legitimacy of McLaughlin and Alex Premat's Great Race triumph.

By year's end, McLaughlin had won both the title and Bathurst, but was visibly fed up with the sniping and worn out by the question marks hanging over his success.

PLUS: The lingering questions from the Bathurst 1000 scandal

Based on his comments last Saturday night - "whoever loses is not going to call it a championship" - McLaughlin has clearly been worried about the asterisk being wheeled out again. Not because he's been at the centre of any controversy this year, but because it's 2020 and nothing is quite what we signed up for.

Back in February, the Supercars field began what should have been a 14-event journey around Australia and New Zealand. Once the pandemic set in, category officials did well to salvage a 10-round season consisting of double-headers in Sydney, Darwin, Townsville and at The Bend. Not ideal, but a heck of a lot better than nothing.

The thing is, McLaughlin has nothing to worry about. There are no question marks this year. He may have a mighty fast car at his disposal, but the inherent advantage of the Mustang seems long gone. If anything, it was the Triple Eight package that rolled out strongest in Adelaide and, briefly, at Albert Park.

It's only since the resumption of the season that McLaughlin has truly set the pace, his DJRTP crew near flawless as T8 struggled with consistency and made uncharacteristic mistakes. McLaughlin maximised when the tyre rules made winning impossible. When it was possible, he won more often than not.

The other 2020 stuff has just added to the challenge. The constantly changing calendar. The uncertainty over if the season would restart, and then when it did, when it would end. The weeks on the road for double-headers on double-headers. None of it diminishes what McLaughlin achieved.

So was this McLaughlin's best title? Probably not. Was it a bloody close second? Absolutely. And maybe it does deserve an asterisk in the history books, because it will go down as an extraordinarily unique achievement.