Four years later, David Malukas returns to a Penske

What could be better for the young American-Lithuanian driver than a circuit on which he has twice reached the podium for his first test run with Team Penske? First, not quite, because it was in one of "Captain" Roger Penske's single-seaters that Malukas had driven a IndyCar for the first time in 2021, on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.

Present at the time as part of an evaluation day, where teams can line up rookies in the discipline, "Little Dave" this time took the wheel of the #12 bearing his name, which he will drive throughout the 2026 season, alongside the #2 of Josef Newgarden, and the #3 of Scott McLaughlin. Very popular among fans for his good humor, his posts on social networks and a David versus Goliath attitude, Malukas could not believe to see his name on a Team Penske car.

" It's incredible ", he told the official IndyCar website as he sat in the car for the first time. “I'm trying to keep my cool, but it's really hard. I was like, 'Just a second, can I take a quick picture?' That was the little kid in me coming out.”

The youngster is now 24 years old and will have to quickly rise to the level expected by Team Penske, namely excellence, nothing more, nothing less. For now, it's time to dream: "I don't even know what to tell you at this point. Everything happens for a reason, and now I'm in the car of my dreams," he added, referring to a 2024 season where his career could have ended abruptly.

After two seasons with Dale Coyne Racing, Malukas got his first big opportunity by signing with Arrow McLaren for 2024. A few weeks before the season kicked off, the Chicago native crashed during mountain bike training, breaking his wrist. During his recovery, he lost his steering wheel, to Theo Pourchaire then Nolan Siegel. Tom Blomqvist's dismissal from Meyer Shank Racing presented him with a last-ditch opportunity, which he seized to join AJ Foyt's team, affiliated with Team Penske.

Now, “Little Dave” has everything he needs to become a big boy…

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