The career trajectory of David Malukas is taking a swift upward rise as the Illinois native will trade his Dale Coyne Racing Honda for a Chevrolet-powered Arrow McLaren IndyCar entry in 2024.
Malukas brings his big personality and promising talent to a team in transition as the Zak Brown- and Gavin Ward-led outfit chases a return to victory lane. He completes the three-car roster in a multi-year contract and will drive the No. 6 Chevy alongside Pato O’Ward and Alexander Rossi.
“David is an up and comer in the NTT IndyCar Series and based on what we’ve seen from him so far in his first two seasons, I’m confident there’s a lot of talent we can extract from him through the resources we have at Arrow McLaren,” Brown said. “Beyond what he can do on a racetrack, he’s got a great personality and we’re excited to welcome him to the McLaren Racing family.”
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The move from Coyne to McLaren is nothing less than remarkable for the boisterous 21-year-old who finished runner-up to Kyle Kirkwood in the 2021 Indy Lights championship.
“I can’t wait to race in papaya next season,” Malukas said. “Arrow McLaren has been a threat to the top contenders all season long, and I’m excited join the team and see what their Chevrolets can do. Pato and Alexander both know what it takes to win, so it will be fun racing alongside them and learning from them as well.”
For Ward, the signing of a standout sophomore driver — one who often humbles bigger stars — is an interesting wrinkle after the team spent most of the year preparing to receive now-two-time IndyCar champion Alex Palou.
“We’ve been extremely impressed with how quickly David has gotten up to speed in the NTT IndyCar Series,” he said. “At 21, he’s already one of the strongest oval racers in the field and his competitiveness on road and street courses has been steadily improving. That speed combined with an excellent attitude and work ethic makes us thrilled to have him join the team.”