Last May, while the Indianapolis 500 was happening, David Malukas was on the sidelines making content for IndyCar’s social media pages, following an off-season mountain biking accident that resulted in a broken wrist.
The Chicago, Illinois-native was originally signed to be the full-time pilot of the No. 6 Chevrolet for Arrow McLaren, but before Malukas could finally heal, the organization terminated his contract, leaving him without an opportunity to compete.
After getting a late-season opportunity to drive for Meyer Shank Racing and then being signed to join Santino Ferrucci at AJ Foyt Racing for the 2025 NTT IndyCar Series campaign, things were finally back on track for the driver affectionately known as ‘Lil Dave’.
Even in those great moments, it’s likely that Malukas never thought that what happened on Sunday, in the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500, would be possible for the 23-year-old driver.
Not only did Malukas, driving the No. 4 Clarience Technologies Chevrolet for AJ Foyt Racing, finish third in ‘The Greatest Spectacle in Racing’, but the highly rated driver was also in legitimate contention to secure the biggest victory of his young career.
“I’m not going to lie, I was crying coming to the pits,” Malukas said. “We were just so close to getting it. I mean, out of all the cars, we were number one until the end. He got lucky, lappers came in and he was able to get a run, we were leading so he was able to get a good tow, I mean he timed that perfectly.”
Malukas only led two laps in the Indianapolis 500, partly a result of the alternate strategies that others were playing to hold onto the lead of the race, however, the blue and white AJ Foyt Racing machine was at the head of the leading strategy for much of the second half of the event.
The execution remained flawless from the No. 4 team, and inside the cockpit, Malukas was able to do the required fuel saving to make the window that could get him to the checkered flag was Marcus Ericsson, who pitted several laps later than the cars he was fighting against.
“From our side, we did everything absolutely perfect, we were the number one car, I mean, with pit stops, coming out, everybody saw when we came out of the pits there, we were ahead of everybody,” said
Malukas. It was an incredible job by the crew and the strategy, obviously bittersweet because we didn’t get it, but if I look back one year ago, I didn’t have a left hand and I was up there in the pagoda watching as a fan.”
“Now, I can say that I was a part of the [Indianapolis 500], and not just a part of it, but fighting for the win.”
The podium finish in the Indianapolis 500 launches David Malukas into 11th in the NTT IndyCar Series point standings, fighting against Andretti Global teammates Colton Herta and Marcus Ericsson for a spot inside the top-10 in standings.
