Newton, IA (Saturday, July 22, 2023) – David Malukas (#18 HMD Dale Coyne Racing with HMD Motorsports) had a strong race at Iowa Speedway on Saturday placing 12th in the first of two 250-lap events this weekend.
Started: 9th
Finished: 12th
- After qualifying ninth earlier in the day, Malukas moved up the field in his opening stint to climb as high as fifth before making his first stop on Lap 62.
- With drivers ahead of him on different pit stop strategies, Malukas exited pit lane in 15th place, but he would later climb back up to 8th before making his second trip down pit lane on Lap 121.
- While the #18 HMD driver ran strong, he spent most of his third sting in 12th place.
- He took advantage of a caution period to make his third pit stop on Lap 162 and once again continued running in 12th for the majority of the stint.
- Malukas made his final stop on Lap 203 and went on to take the checkered flag in 12th place.
- Earlier in the day, Malukas scored his best starting position of the season by placing third on the grid for Race 2 of the weekend at Iowa Speedway.
- So far this season, Malukas has a best finish of fourth (Texas Motor Speedway).
- Next up: the Hy-Vee One Step 250 presented by Gatorade at Iowa Speedway, July 23, 2023.
David Malukas, #18 Dale Coyne Racing with HMD Motorsports Honda
“We ended up finishing 12th after starting ninth in Race 1. It’s a shame because we had a very fast car. I’m a little confused as to why we went backwards after moving toward the front in the opening stint. We need to sit down with the team and look at what happened there. Overall, I’m still happy with what I learned today and what we can use to help us in tomorrow’s race. We’ll be better prepared for that race and we know we have a fast car and we’ll be starting a lot higher up, in third.”