Leeds, Alabama (Sunday, April 30, 2023) – David Malukas (#18 HMD Dale Coyne Racing with HMD Motorsports) didn’t have the weekend he had hoped for at Barber Motorsports Park, crossing the finish line in 19th place, but the sophomore driver came out of the weekend with more experience and lessons learned.
Started: 17th
Finished: 19th
- Malukas remained in his 17th place starting position during his first stint, but it wasn’t without some battles with the car ahead of him.
- The #18 HMD team opted for a three-stop strategy for the 90-lap race, with Malukas entering pit lane on Lap 11 for his first trip down pit lane.
- He then climbed all the way to sixth, getting by pole sitter Grosjean for the position, before making his second stop on Lap 38.
- Malukas once again made his way back up to sixth before making his final stop on Lap 65.
- With cars on two-stop strategies and others on a three-stop strategy, including the eventual race winner, Malukas exited pit lane in 18th place.
- He ended up losing one more position before crossing the finish line in 19th.
- The Dale Coyne Racing with HMD team will next be on track at the GMR Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, May 12 and 13, 2023.
David Malukas, #18 Dale Coyne Racing with HMD Motorsports Honda
“It was a tough weekend overall. We were really struggling with pace. We tried many different things but just couldn’t get the car to where it needed to be. We ended up 19th but we were on the correct strategy, the winner was on the same strategy, we just didn’t have the pace to make it work. It was a weekend to learn from. A tough race but a lot came out of it. We’ll keep on working and hopefully we can do better at the GMR Grand Prix in a couple of weeks.”