Malukas Looks To Build On Solid Rookie Campaign

The 2022 NTT IndyCar Series rookie class turned in a stout showing and appears to have included several of the series’ future stars. 

Christian Lundgaard, David Malukas and Callum Illot all made their names known throughout the season, signaling what’s ahead for the IndyCar Series.

Though Lundgaard earned rookie-of-the-year honors, Malukas was close behind. 

For Malukas, who finished second in the Indy NXT series in 2021, the season was all about progression aboard the No. 18 Dale Coyne Racing Honda. 

“To me, it was just so good. It almost just felt like a video game,” Malukas said. “You know when you start a new video game, let’s say you get FIFA or something, and your character sucks in the beginning, and he doesn’t have any skills, and he’s making mistakes. Then you have to level him up throughout the season. By the end, he’s somewhat there.

“I feel like that’s kind of how the season went. In the beginning, there was many mistakes from my part, and still learning the connection with the team, getting comfortable, building the chemistry.”

As someone who grew up dreaming of one day competing in America’s top open-wheel category, the Chicago native had to pinch himself a handful of times during the season opener in St. Petersburg (Fla.) in February.

“There are a couple of realizations throughout the season,” Malukas said. “Of course, the first one was just going into St. Pete, you finally get in, you’re not going to the Indy Lights paddock, the Indy Pro 2000 paddock, you’re going to the IndyCar paddock.

“I went in with my pass and I was like, ‘Oh my God, this is just so cool.’

“It was definitely St. Pete, where you finally line up for practice one, and you just have all these drivers that I’ve looked up to and, of course, new drivers like (Colton) Herta. You just go into the practice, and you’re side-by-side with them trying to set up a gap. It was just a surreal experience.”

While Malukas settled into his maiden IndyCar season, a positive swing for the No. 18 team was the month-long preparation for the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

“I would say the month of May was really good. I think it’s really good as a rookie, because you get so much track time. It’s an entire month with the crew,” Malukas said. “That is kind of when we flipped the switch, we were able to just talk and learn and try so many different things. The second half of the season, it just kept going in the right direction.”

The arrow kept pointing up for the Dale Coyne Racing team, with four Fast Six appearances and three top-10 finishes during the second half of the season. 

Along the way, came his breakthrough IndyCar moment with an electrifying second-place result at Worldwide Technology Raceway, battling Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin and Josef Newgarden during the closing laps. 

“All the stars were aligning that day,” Malukas said. “Every lap that we did in that race, it was just going more into the direction of where our car suits the track best and where I was more comfortable with it. Of course, I also had Pancho (Carter, spotter) in my ears.

“He was just giving so much feedback and so much information that by the time the end of the race came, I just had so much trust in him that anytime he told me to do something, I just went and did it. I think all of this together, is really just what added up to that result.”

What aided Malukas and the No. 18 team, was a rain delay that cooled the track before racing resumed. With the team testing at the track earlier in the year, they found their cars performed best in cooler conditions. 

When Malukas brought the DCR Honda to a rest, jubilation and hugs overcame the team. 

“It was a big relief. You go into the season, although you’ve worked so hard your entire childhood to get to IndyCar, it’s kind of the hardest step is to actually prove that you belong there,” Malukas said. “Every driver in that field is incredible.

“Knowing all the effort that the team put through, it just meant so much to me,” Malukas continued. “It meant so much to the team that we kind of shared that connection. All those emotions kind of rushed out at once.

“So it felt really good at that moment, I had this massive relief that, ‘I think I finally proved that I belong in IndyCar.’”

Malukas’ breakout race is only the stepping-stone for what he feels the team is capable of as they look toward St. Petersburg in March. 

“I think we’ll start the season off much more consistently,” Malukas said. “The team is working so hard on pit stops. We’re making sure that we’re working as hard as possible. For next season, we want to be somewhere in the championship running. 

“For me, I think what would be really good is consistent top-10 finishes throughout the season. That is all I want. That was kind of the last two to three races, that was kind of the plan on what we wanted to do. I’m going to continue that going into this next season.”