Malukas proves Penske’s point man for Indy qualifying

David Malukas was the biggest question mark during the offseason when he was signed to replace Will Power in the No. 12 Team Penske Chevy. How would he fare against a modern-era great like Josef Newgarden, a two-time champion and double Indianapolis 500 winner? Or Scott McLaughlin, one of the most talented drivers the IndyCar Series has received in a decade?

Just fine is the answer, after Malukas led the three-car Penske squad in qualifying at the Indianapolis 500 – the sixth straight race where he’s been Penske’s top performer in time trials – and has led the team home as the top finisher in 50 percent of the races held so far in 2026.

The innocent kid from Illinois, who makes everything he does look easy, was well clear of McLaughlin in ninth and Newgarden in 24th as he pushed the No. 12 car to a front-row berth with an average speed of 231.877mph.

The 24-year-old got his first pole earlier this year at Phoenix and continues to pursue his first win, but on his current trajectory where he holds third in the championship, reaching victory lane has the look of something that’s on the immediate horizon.

“It feels really good,” he said of his front-running status within his new team. “For me, it was a lot of pressure offseason, but with this team, the amount of resources that I have, and this leadership, you know, coming from JD (team president Jonathan Diuguid) and (engineering leader) Dave Faustino, (race engineer) James Schnabel, Fernando, Mustafa…it's the best crew I've had. I've been on a fair share of teams, especially since 2024 from the wrist injury. Coming in now, this is the best team I've had.”

There’s no guarantee Malukas will close the Indy 500 as Penske’s best performer, but there is a reason – and a lot of recent data – to suggest he’ll be in the mix after finishing six of the last seven races inside the top seven for Penske.

“The chemistry is so high,” he continued. “Everybody is having such a good time, but we're all very competitive, when you have a whole crew pushing 110 percent. But I get to go and sleep and get a full night's rest, when those guys are working their butts off, and I see the Notes app is getting updated at 1:00 in the morning. It feels good. I get to come back, and I have all these notes and information to feed off of that by the time practice, qualifying, or the race comes in, I'm a lot more calm. There's no sense to overthink since I have all the information I need in front of me.”