David Malukas (born September 27, 2001) is an American

racing driver Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. In North America, the term is commonly used to describe all forms of automobile sport including non ...

who competes in the

IndyCar Series The IndyCar Series, officially known as the NTT IndyCar Series for sponsorship reasons, is the highest class of American open-wheel car racing in the United States, which has been conducted under the auspices of various sanctioning bodies sinc ...

driving the No. 4

Chevrolet Chevrolet ( ) is an American automobile division of the manufacturer General Motors (GM). In North America, Chevrolet produces and sells a wide range of vehicles, from subcompact automobiles to medium-duty commercial trucks. Due to the promi ...

for A. J. Foyt Racing. He previously drove for

Meyer Shank Racing Meyer Shank Racing (MSR; formerly Michael Shank Racing) is an American motorsport organization that competes in the IndyCar Series and the IMSA SportsCar Championship. History Atlantic Championship Michael Shank, co-owner of Meyer Shank Racing ...

in 2024.

Early career

Lower formula

In 2016 and the early part of 2017, Malukas competed in the

Formula 4 UAE Championship The Formula 4 UAE Championship was an FIA-certified Formula 4 racing series. It was launched by the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile, and its national affiliate the Automobile & Touring Club of the United Arab Emirates, Automobile & Tour ...

for Rasgaira Motorsports. He did not contest the full season but still finished sixth in the championship. Malukas would move to

ADAC Formula 4 ADAC Formula 4 () was a racing series regulated according to FIA Formula 4 regulations. The inaugural season was the 2015 ADAC Formula 4. It replaced the ADAC Formel Masters, held from 2008 to 2014. History Gerhard Berger and the FIA Single S ...

to compete for Motopark in 2017. There he would end up finishing nineteenth in the championship.

U.S. F2000 National Championship

Along with his efforts in

, Malukas would compete in the

U.S. F2000 National Championship The USF2000 Championship Presented by Continental Tire is an American racing series using an American variation of the Formula Ford standard, "F2000", that resumed operation for the 2010 season. As of 2022, it is sanctioned by the United States ...

in 2017 for BN Racing. At the first race at

Road America Road America is a motorsport Road racing, road course located near Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin on Wisconsin Highway 67. It has hosted races since the 1950s and currently hosts races in the IndyCar Series, IMSA SportsCar Championship, Sports Car Club ...

, he took pole position and finished on the podium in second.

Pro Mazda Championship

After competing part-time in the

the previous year, Malukas would move up to the Pro Mazda Championship in 2018 again driving for BN Racing. He would have an impressive season with three wins and six podiums to finish fourth in the championship.

Formula Regional Americas Championship

Due to the 2020 Indy Lights season being cancelled in 2020, Malukas would compete in the

Formula Regional Americas Championship The Formula Regional Americas Championship powered by Honda (formerly the F3 Americas Championship powered by Honda) is an Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, FIA Formula Regional racing series that competes in the United States, with pl ...

for

HMD Motorsports HMD Motorsports is an American racing team in the Indy NXT series. The team is owned by Henry Malukas. Indy NXT (2019–present) 2019 The origins of HMD Motorsports traces back to BN Racing's Indy Lights operation as the team had entered the ...

. He had a successful season claiming two wins and fifteen podiums to finish second in the championship.

Indy Lights

In 2019, Malukas would once again move up a rung in the

Road to Indy The USF Pro Championships Presented by Continental Tire, formerly known as the Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires, is a racecar driver development program, providing a scholarship-funded path to reach the IndyCar Series and Indianapolis 500. ...

ladder to the

Indy Lights Indy NXT (pronounced "Indy Next"), previously Indy Lights, is an American developmental automobile racing series sanctioned by IndyCar, currently known as INDY NXT by Firestone for sponsorship reasons. Indy NXT is the highest step on the Roa ...

series driving for BN Racing. In August of that year, Malukas' father Henry acquired BN Racing's Indy Lights operation and established

. Malukas would only have two podiums at

Circuit of the Americas Circuit of the Americas (COTA) is a Grade 1 Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, FIA-specification motor racing track and facilities located in Austin, Texas, United States. The facility is home to the Formula One United States Grand Pr ...

and

Gateway Motorsports Park Gateway Motorsports Park (currently known as World Wide Technology Raceway for sponsorship reasons) is a motor racing facility in Madison, Illinois, just east of St. Louis, close to the Gateway Arch. It features a oval that hosts the NASCAR Cup ...

respectively. Malukas was set to compete in the series in 2020, however the season was cancelled due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. After 2020, Malukas returned to the series in 2021 once again with HMD Motorsports. He would claim his maiden pole at the second race at Barber Motorsports Park and would go on to get his first win in the series. Malukas would challenge rookie

Kyle Kirkwood Kyle MacLean Kirkwood (born October 19, 1998) is an American auto racing driver. He competes in the IndyCar Series, driving the No. 27 Dallara-Honda for Andretti Global. He is a two-time victor of the Grand Prix of Long Beach, winning in 2023 and ...

for the title all season but ultimately finished second in the standings behind Kirkwood. He would have his most impressive season in any category thus far with six poles, sixteen podiums and seven wins.

IndyCar

Dale Coyne Racing (2022–2023)

On December 15, 2021, it was announced that Malukas would drive the No. 18 entry full-time for

Dale Coyne Racing Dale Coyne Racing (DCR) is an American professional open-wheel racing team that currently competes in the IndyCar Series and Indy NXT. The team was founded in 1984 and is owned by former driver Dale Coyne. From 1995 to 2000, the team was known ...

in partnership with

during the 2022 IndyCar Series season. At Mid-Ohio, he finished a career-best ninth in his first top-10 of the season. At the next race in Toronto, Malukas made it into the Firestone Fast 6 for a second time that season and qualified a career-best fifth. Malukas took his first podium at Gateway, nearly passing his idol

Josef Newgarden Josef Nicolai Newgarden (born December 22, 1990) is an American racing driver who races the No. 2 Team Penske Dallara/Chevrolet in the IndyCar Series. He was the 2011 Indy Lights champion, and 2017 and 2019 IndyCar Series Champion. He won the 2 ...

for the win on the last lap but ultimately settling for second place. In 2023, Malukas' second campaign with Dale Coyne started off with a top-10 finish in the chaotic season opener in

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city had a population of 5,601, ...

, then saw him qualify 9th in the 2023 PPG 375 at

Texas Motor Speedway Texas Motor Speedway (formerly known as Texas International Raceway from September to December 1996) is a quad-oval Oval track racing#Intermediate, intermediate speedway in Fort Worth, Texas. It has hosted various major races since its inaugura ...

, and finish 4th in a multi-car battle for the win. His promising start went a bit awry, when he managed only 2 top-20 results during the next 6 races in a row Following a last-place finish in the Sonsio Grand Prix at Road America, David shook off the bad luck by qualifying 12th and recording a 6th place finish. The next stop at

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

would prove to be a let down, being credited with a 20th place after retiring due to contact. Malukas went on to the double-header at

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

and recorded solid 12th and 8th place finishes. The Big Machine Music City Grand Prix at Nashville he qualified 6th, but suffered a mechanical failure, and was credited with a last-place finish. After a disappointing qualifying session, at the Gallagher Grand Prix, in Indianapolis, he moved up 7 positions to finish 16th. Returning to Gateway, the site of his breakout performance during the previous season, he came home in 3rd. At

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

, David qualified 24th, then worked his way forward to finish in 8th place. During the season finale in

Laguna Seca Laguna Seca Raceway (branded as WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, and previously Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca for sponsorship reasons) is a paved Racing track#Motorsport, road racing track in central California used for both auto racing and Motorcyc ...

, he survived a shunt, which left him stranded in a gravel trap, then returned to finish 20th.

Arrow McLaren (2024)

On September 8, 2023,

Arrow McLaren The IndyCar Series operation of McLaren, competing as Arrow McLaren IndyCar Team due to sponsorship, is based in Indianapolis and was founded by former IndyCar driver Sam Schmidt in 2001 as Sam Schmidt Motorsports (SSM). The team operates the N ...

announced Malukas had been signed to a multi-year contract as driver of the No. 6 entry, beginning in 2024. However, on the second weekend of February, Malukas tore ligaments and dislocated his left wrist in a

mountain biking Mountain biking (MTB) is a sport of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, usually using specially designed mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes but incorporate features designed to enhance durability ...

accident, and underwent hand surgery Tuesday, February 13. After missing four races, and with an unclear recovery timeline, he was released by the team on April 29, 2024.

Meyer Shank (2024)

On June 7, 2024, it was announced that Malukas would be returning to IndyCar with

, replacing

Tom Blomqvist Tom Leonard Blomqvist (born 30 November 1993) is a British racing driver. He competes in the IMSA SportsCar Championship with Meyer Shank Racing. Blomqvist also competes in the 2023 FIA World Endurance Championship, FIA World Endurance Champion ...

. Starting at

, he competed in all remaining rounds of the 2024 season in the No. 66 car.

A. J. Foyt Racing (2025)

On August 13, 2024, it was announced that Malukas signed a multi-year deal with A. J. Foyt Racing for the 2025 season and beyond. He finished second after starting seventh at the

Indianapolis 500 The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly shortened to Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indian ...

. The following week, he qualified second for the

Detroit Grand Prix The title of Detroit Grand Prix (United States Grand Prix – East) was applied to the Formula One races held at the Detroit street circuit in Detroit, Detroit, Michigan, United States of America from 1982 through 1988. History In 1982, the U ...

, and ran amongst the top five before contact with

Álex Palou Álex Palou Montalbo (; born 1 April 1997) is a Spanish racing driver who drives for Chip Ganassi Racing in the IndyCar Series, where he won the 2021 IndyCar Series, 2021, 2023 IndyCar Series, 2023, and 2024 IndyCar Series, 2024 championships a ...

resulted in a penalty, dropping him down the finishing order.

Personal life

Malukas' parents emigrated from

Telšiai Telšiai (; Samogitian language, Samogitian: ''Telšē'') is a city in Lithuania with about 21,499 inhabitants. It is the capital of Telšiai County and Samogitia region, and it is located on the shores of Lake Mastis. Telšiai is one of the ol ...

in 1991, shortly after

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

regained independence from the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

, which had illegally annexed the country in 1940. Malukas was born in Chicago, Illinois and is a United States citizen. He has said in an interview that while also eligible for Lithuanian citizenship, he has not pursued it. In addition to the American flag, Malukas marks his cars with the Lithuanian flag in honor of his ethnic heritage. In 2015, Malukas was one of the featured drivers in the ''Kart Life'' TV series, which provided a behind the scenes look into the world of young kart racers.

Karting record

Karting career summary

Racing record

Career summary

Complete Formula 4 UAE Championship results

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)

Complete ADAC Formula 4 Championship results

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)

American open–wheel racing results

U.S. F2000 National Championship

Pro Mazda Championship

Indy Lights

* ¹ HMD Motorsports acquired BN Racing's Indy Lights operation in August 2019

Formula Regional Americas Championship

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)

IndyCar Series

( key)

Indianapolis 500

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Malukas, David 2001 births Living people ADAC Formula 4 drivers American people of Lithuanian descent IndyCar Series drivers Indianapolis 500 drivers Indy Lights drivers Indy Pro 2000 Championship drivers Racing drivers from Chicago U.S. F2000 National Championship drivers Formula Regional Americas Championship drivers Motopark Academy drivers Dale Coyne Racing drivers Karting World Championship drivers UAE F4 Championship drivers HMD Motorsports drivers Meyer Shank Racing drivers 21st-century American sportsmen A. J. Foyt Enterprises drivers