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David Malukas is considered IndyCar's next big thing. Though the 23-year-old has yet to win a race, he has impressed the top teams in the premier American open-wheel racing series, including Arrow McLaren and Team Penske, since his debut in 2022. He recently shed light on his family's journey from the Soviet Union to the US that birthed his American dream.
During an interview with WISN 12 News to promote the Milwaukee Mile 250 on August 23-24, the AJ Foyt Racing driver also spoke about his childhood. Malukas explained how his parents' love for racing pushed him into the fast-paced world of motorsport, helping his father live his unfulfilled driver dream through him.
"It (love for racing) started when I was 6 or 7 years old. Back then, I was still young, picking my nose, playing with Hot Wheels. But my parents, they were kind of the big inspiration. My dad was always a big race fan. He came from the Soviet Union. Lithuania at the time occupied the Soviet Union. (In) '91, when it collapsed, they came to America and they had an American dream, sort of their own, but my dad kind of lives his dream a little bit through me, so he was a big push for it. But my whole family, we've been big race fans," he said. [0:45 onwards]
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David Malukas' father Henry helped ease his pathway into the world of IndyCar. He bought BN Racing's Indy Lights (now Indy NXT, the topmost rung of IndyCar's ladder series) operations and also set up his own team HMD Motorsports, which is currently the biggest team in the junior series.
Malukas has scored two podiums in the past two and a half seasons, both at Gateway (2022 and 2023). AJ Foyt Racing signed him on a multi-year in August 2024 for the 2025 season and beyond. This move is rumored to be a precursor for a Team Penske promotion for him.
David Malukas impresses in the first IndyCar race of 2025 at St. Petersburg
David Malukas signed for AJ Foyt Racing because of team owner AJ Foyt's legendary racing career. The 90-year-old holds the biggest IndyCar records, including 7 championships, 67 race wins and four Indy 500 victories.
Malukas had a decent start to his 2025 season with the team at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. Though the qualifying session wasn't particularly impressive with him securing P17 on the grid, his race performance was. The No. 4 Chevrolet driver, like most of his rivals, was on a 3-stop strategy, but he made it work better.
He crossed the finish line in P13, four places up from where he began. This performance was especially impressive considering how it was his first time driving an Indy car with a Chevrolet engine. He only raced Honda-powered cars in his two-year stint with Dale Coyne Racing and a half-year stint with Meyer Shank Racing.
David Malukas had missed the first half of 2024 after his left wrist injury forced Arrow McLaren to part ways with him. The P13 result on the streets of St. Petersburg is a big upgrade since the no-show last season.
