Malukas continues to impress in Foyt's No. 4

David Malukas came within two minutes of earning his first IndyCar Series pole position. Despite missing out on starting first in the No. 4 AJ Foyt Racing Chevy, the Illinois native made his latest impressive statement for the team with race engineer James Schnabel in charge of the car.

As a duo, just as Schnabel did last year while engineering Foyt teammate Santino Ferrucci in the No. 14 Chevy to 10th in the championship, Malukas and the Penske-employed engineer are making their presence felt in 2025 as they hold 10th in the standings ahead of Sunday’s Snap-on 250 at the Milwaukee Mile.

“I think off of that point, [a lot of kudos go to] James Schnabel,” Malukas said. “He's transformed Ferrucci, transformed me. In a season, it's crazy what performances he's been able to accomplish and what he's been able to do.

“We sat down, had a lot of talks and felt it out. We built that chemistry from a personality standpoint and getting to know each other and learning what I want from the car, and he's done an incredible job understanding what I'm needing and giving that to me.”

The two found a great qualifying rhythm in May at the Indianapolis 500 where he started seventh, and since then, his best qualifying performances have included runs to second, fourth, seventh, third, sixth, and fifth prior to adding another second-place starting spot to the list at Milwaukee.

“If I look back at the start of the season in St. Pete and just ... the first three months, it's crazy how different things were,” he said. “We were struggling to even make the top 10 in qualifying, and now we've had some Fast Six performances and now we're here again on the front row at Milwaukee. It's kudos to James.”