David Malukas Bio
David Joseph Malukas (born September 27, 2001) is an American racing driver who competes in the IndyCar Series. He currently drives the No. 12 Chevrolet for Team Penske, a multi-year deal announced in September 2025. Across the Road to Indy ladder and IndyCar, Malukas has built a reputation as a hard-charging competitor with multiple podiums and a pole position at the top level of American open-wheel racing.
Early Life and Background
David Joseph Malukas was born on September 27, 2001, in Chicago, Illinois. He grew up in a Chicago-area household shaped by motorsport and business, with family roots tracing back to Telšiai, Lithuania. His parents emigrated from Lithuania to the United States in 1991, and later built a trucking company that grew to a fleet of roughly 500 to 600 trucks.
That family connection to road transportation dovetailed with a young Malukas’s passion for speed. In 2015, he was featured as one of the young kart racers in the TV series Kart Life, which followed aspiring drivers behind the scenes. Although his parents did not push him toward the sport, Malukas found his way into karting as a child and quickly progressed through the junior ranks.
Path to NASCAR
Malukas did not follow a NASCAR ladder. Instead, he climbed the Road to Indy, the open-wheel development system that feeds into the IndyCar Series. His earliest international experience came in the Formula 4 UAE Championship with Rasgaira Motorsports in 2016 and early 2017, where a partial campaign still produced a sixth-place championship finish.
In 2017, he added a stint in ADAC Formula 4 with Motopark while also contesting the U.S. F2000 National Championship for BN Racing. At Road America that year, he took a pole position and a runner-up result in his first U.S. F2000 race. A move up to the Pro Mazda Championship followed in 2018, and Malukas delivered three wins and six podiums on his way to fourth in the standings, confirming him as one of the more promising American open-wheel talents of his generation.
David Malukas Career
Early Career (2016–2019)
Malukas’s single-seater foundation was laid overseas. After his Formula 4 UAE and ADAC Formula 4 stints, he returned to the United States and began climbing the Road to Indy ladder. His Pro Mazda campaign in 2018 with BN Racing produced three victories and six podiums, a strong haul for a young driver stepping into a new car.
He moved up to Indy Lights in 2019, again with BN Racing. That August, his father Henry acquired the team’s Indy Lights operation and rebranded it as HMD Motorsports. Malukas posted two podiums that season, at Circuit of the Americas and Gateway Motorsports Park, setting the stage for a more competitive run the following year.
Indy Lights Breakthrough (2020–2021)
The planned 2020 Indy Lights season was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In its place, Malukas contested the Formula Regional Americas Championship with HMD Motorsports, finishing second overall with two wins and fifteen podiums. When Indy Lights returned in 2021, he came back stronger than ever.
Driving once more for HMD Motorsports, Malukas took his maiden Indy Lights pole at Barber Motorsports Park and scored his first series win. He pushed rookie Kyle Kirkwood for the championship all season and ultimately finished second in the standings. The year featured seven wins, sixteen podiums, and six poles, his most productive campaign in any series to date.
Dale Coyne Racing Era (2022–2023)
On December 15, 2021, Dale Coyne Racing confirmed Malukas as the full-time driver of the No. 18 entry for the 2022 IndyCar Series, in partnership with HMD Motorsports. He scored his first top-ten finish at Mid-Ohio and qualified a career-best fifth in Toronto. The breakthrough arrived at Gateway, where he nearly caught leader Josef Newgarden on the final lap and finished second for his first IndyCar podium.
The 2023 season opened with a top-ten in St. Petersburg and a fourth-place run at Texas Motor Speedway. Results fluctuated through the middle of the year, but he returned to Gateway and finished third at the same track that had delivered his maiden podium. Across his two seasons with Dale Coyne Racing, Malukas collected multiple podiums and laid the groundwork for a step up to a top team.
Meyer Shank Racing and A.J. Foyt Racing (2024–2025)
Arrow McLaren announced on September 8, 2023, that Malukas would join the team on a multi-year deal driving the No. 6 entry beginning in 2024. In February 2024, a mountain biking accident tore ligaments and dislocated his left wrist, requiring surgery and forcing him to miss four races. He was released by Arrow McLaren on April 29, 2024.
Meyer Shank Racing brought him back into the series on June 7, 2024, replacing Tom Blomqvist. He debuted with the team at Laguna Seca while still adapting to a brace on his recovering wrist. On August 13, 2024, A.J. Foyt Racing confirmed a multi-year deal that brought Malukas aboard for 2025 and beyond. He opened 2025 by finishing second at the Indianapolis 500 after starting seventh, one of the strongest results of his IndyCar career.
Team Penske Era (2026–Present)
On September 18, 2025, Team Penske announced Malukas as the replacement for Will Power on a multi-year agreement beginning in 2026. He started the 2026 season with a thirteenth-place finish in St. Petersburg, then scored his first career IndyCar pole position and podium at Phoenix. He added another runner-up result at the Sonsio Grand Prix before finishing second at the Indianapolis 500, the closest finish in race history, losing to Felix Rosenqvist by 0.0233 seconds.
Driving Style and Strengths
Malukas has shown a particular feel for short ovals and mixed-discipline weekends, tracks where throttle control and traffic management matter most. His qualifying pace has improved steadily, highlighted by a Phoenix pole and multiple Firestone Fast 6 appearances at road courses. Crew chief chemistry has been central to his late-race execution, and his aggressive but calculated race craft has produced several last-lap charges.
Notable Races and Milestones
Gateway stands out as the track where Malukas first announced himself in IndyCar, with his 2022 runner-up effort followed by a 2023 third-place finish. The 2025 Indianapolis 500 runner-up, his best result in the 500, and the 2026 edition, decided by 0.0233 seconds, both rank among his signature performances. His 2021 Indy Lights campaign, with seven wins and sixteen podiums, remains his most decorated single season.
David Malukas Career Wins
David Malukas has accumulated victories across multiple developmental series and added consistent podiums at the IndyCar level. While he is still seeking his first IndyCar victory, his career includes wins in Pro Mazda, Formula Regional Americas, and Indy Lights.
IndyCar Highlights
Through his first full IndyCar seasons, Malukas had recorded seven career podiums and one pole position before the 2026 campaign. His first podium came at Gateway in 2022, and he has since added additional top-three finishes with Dale Coyne Racing, A.J. Foyt Racing, and Team Penske. His best championship result so far is eleventh in 2025.
Other Wins and Performances
In Pro Mazda, Malukas scored three wins in 2018. In Formula Regional Americas, he added two wins in 2020 on his way to the championship runner-up spot. His 2021 Indy Lights season was his most prolific, with seven wins, sixteen podiums, and six poles, capped by a second-place finish in the standings.
| Series | Wins | Top Tens | Poles |
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David Malukas Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Malukas’s parents emigrated from Telšiai, Lithuania, to the United States in 1991 and later built a trucking company that grew to a fleet of approximately 500 to 600 trucks. The family has deep ties to motorsport through HMD Motorsports, founded by his father Henry in 2019 after acquiring the BN Racing Indy Lights operation.
Personal Life
Malukas was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, and holds United States citizenship. Although he is also eligible for Lithuanian citizenship, he has said in interviews that he has not pursued it. He honors his Lithuanian heritage by displaying the Lithuanian flag alongside the American flag on his race cars.
2025 Season Performance
The 2025 IndyCar Series marked David Malukas’s first season with A.J. Foyt Racing after signing a multi-year deal in August 2024. He opened the year with one of the strongest results of his IndyCar career, finishing second at the Indianapolis 500 after starting seventh. He backed that up with a front-row qualifying effort at the Detroit Grand Prix, where contact with Álex Palou cost him a potential top-five.
Across the season, Malukas built momentum with consistent race pace and improved qualifying form, helping him rise to eleventh in the final championship standings. His combination of oval strength and growing road course confidence made him a steady contributor for the team, and his Indianapolis 500 runner-up finish was a defining moment of the campaign.
By season’s end, Malukas had positioned himself as one of the more desirable free agents in the paddock. That form translated directly into his September 2025 move to Team Penske, setting the stage for a multi-year opportunity with one of the most decorated teams in IndyCar history.
