INDIANAPOLIS (Friday, May 13, 2022) – Rookie David Malukas (#18 Dale Coyne Racing with HMD Motorsports) continued to make progress throughout the practice sessions and qualifying on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course on Friday. However, in a very competitive field, he ended up 24th on the starting grid for Saturday’s GMR Grand Prix.
Starting: 24th
Group 2 / Round 1: 12th
Best Lap: 1:10.4755
- The rookie was sitting in the middle of the pack after his first qualifying lap.
- He entered pit lane after his third lap and switched to the alternate Firestone tire and immediately registered his best time.
- His fastest lap of 1:10.4755 initially placed him second of the group, but he ended up 12th when all was said and done.
- Malukas is making his first NTT INDYCAR SERIES start on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course this weekend.
- In four NTT INDYCAR SERIES starts this season, Malukas has a best finish of 11th at Texas, and a best starting position of 18th (Long Beach and Barber Motorsports Park).
- The 2021 Indy Lights Vice Champion has a win and second place finish on the IMS road course in Indy Lights.
David Malukas, #18 Dale Coyne Racing with HMD Motorsports Honda
“It was a busy day at IMS today with two practice sessions and qualifying. We knew we had some work to do after practice 1. Then practice 2 started off great and we ended up in a good place going into qualifying. Unfortunately, it seemed like the pace was there. I thought the car felt very good and when I came in, I guess we didn’t have enough because we were P12 in our group. I was surprised because I thought we had the speed, but I guess at the end of the day when the car feels good it just proves that you’re not pushing enough! Overall, it was a good day, but it could have been a lot better. I really like this place and in Indy Lights I was always really quick here. I think it shows how strong the IndyCar field is here. Going into tomorrow we’re going to work on our setup and hopefully try and move up the field.”