James Black/Penske Entertainment
Malukas injures hand in mountain bike accident
New Arrow McLaren driver David Malukas suffered a fractured hand in a mountain biking accident last weekend. The third-year NTT IndyCar Series driver, who takes over the No. 6 Chevy, will have surgery on Tuesday.
The procedure’s outcome and its associated recovery time will determine whether the Illinois native will be able to compete for Arrow McLaren during the March 8-10 season opener in St. Petersburg, or if the team will need to ready itself for a replacement driver for the event.
Although the span of nearly one month between the surgery and the need for Malukas to drive at St Pete is encouraging, there’s a more pressing need for the 22-year-old to consider. Scheduled for February 26-27 at Sebring, Malukas would want to participate in the first tests for all drivers with the new-for-2024 hybrid chassis package, but it would come two weeks after surgery.
Most drivers got one day with the lighter chassis configuration in January at the Homestead-Miami roval, which runs without the energy recovery system that IndyCar says it will introduce in the summer, but the dedicated two-day test in the non-ERS package at Sebring — which better replicates a street course like St. Petersburg — is not one a driver would want to miss.
Based on the results and recovery forecast, Arrow McLaren will decide if it needs to prepare a stand-in for Malukas. Among the candidates, former Andretti Global IndyCar driver and Arrow McLaren reserve driver Zach Veach is expected to be in the mix.
Marshall Pruett
The 2026 season marks Marshall Pruett's 40th year working in the sport. In his role today for RACER, Pruett covers open-wheel and sports car racing as a writer, reporter, photographer, and filmmaker. In his previous career, he served as a mechanic, engineer, and team manager in a variety of series, including IndyCar, IMSA, and World Challenge.
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