Supercars ace Scott McLaughlin has embraced the New Year in his new DJR Team Penske colours.

The Australian/American squad has welcomed McLaughlin into its family officially for the first time after the Kiwi’s highly successful tenure with the Garry Rogers Motorsport Volvo operation.

McLaughlin was confirmed at DJRTP in June last year as a replacement for the Walkinshaw-bound Scott Pye.

The 23-year-old finished third in the 2016 Supercars Championship after completing a four-year stint at GRM where he lifted Volvo to intermittent success since graduating to the main game as the 2013 Dunlop Series champion.

McLaughlin and DJRTP incumbent Fabian Coulthard are seen as the favourites to take the fight up to the Triple Eight squad which filled first, second and fourth in the 2016 standings with Shane van Gisbergen, Jamie Whincup and Craig Lowndes.