David Malukas says the decision on where he’ll race in 2025 will come “sooner than you think.”
Signed to drive the No. 66 Meyer Shank Racing Honda through the September 15 season finale at Nashville Speedway, Malukas has received a multi-year offer to stay in the car and is also understood to have at least one other significant option outside of MSR within the NTT IndyCar Series paddock.
Multiple sources have told RACER that Malukas is leaning towards moving to Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, where lead driver Christian Lundgaard is departing for Arrow McLaren at the end of this season, but Malukas says those sources are wrong.
“Fake news, I am not doing that,” Malukas said to RACER. “The free agent process is going really good, thankfully, since I managed to actually get back into a car after the whole injury thing and how this year started, which was amazing. Had some decent performances, and people didn’t forget about me, and there have been a few options here, and we’re getting close. I’m really excited. Good stuff coming.”
Amid some errors and inconsistencies while shaking off a lot of rust, Malukas has been fast in qualifying and in contention for strong finishes with the No. 66 car. Placing sixth at the last race in Toronto marks his best so far for the Ohio-based team, and while his return to MSR is anything but guaranteed, Malukas is thankful for everything Jim Meyer and Mike Shank have done to help reenergize his career and create options he lacked after being dropped by Arrow McLaren in April.
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“The results have been ‘meh,’” he said. “A few mistakes from my side, getting back into the mix, and at Toronto, finally we had some consistency. We survived and got a good result.
“The speed was there from the start. I was in my own head coming back from this injury. The amount of people that told me, ‘It’s never going to feel the same. You’re never going to drive the same, and you’re going to be different, and there’s a lot of risk.’
“And to go back into it at Laguna Seca, there was a lot of pain in that wrist. It was like survival, and we were on for a top 10 until we got a flat tire. And then we go into Mid-Ohio, we qualified third, and just immediately, we’re right back into it. It cured all of those overthinking thoughts; people telling me that it’s just not going to be the same.
“What I really enjoyed most is the road course and the street course performance, because I feel like in the previous years at Dale Coyne Racing, I got this name of being an oval specialist when, from my side, I always felt like there was more opportunity to be shown on road courses and street courses. Being with MSR, I’ve been able to show a little bit more of that side as well. Now, people overall are seeing the skillsets.
“Honestly, I’m just so thankful for the opportunity. If I wasn’t in a car this season and I had to sit out of the seat for a whole season, just letting my mind race and overthink if I’m ever going to get back. The stars aligned and just, thank God. Thank you Michael Shank. Thank you Jim Meyer, because they saved me. Honestly, that was a career-saving moment, and I’m here because of them.”