Driver David Malukas Tells OutKick What He Learned On His Journey To Team Penske

Every new IndyCar season brings some new faces in new places, and in 2026, there's a big change at one of the sport's biggest teams, Team Penske, with David Malukas taking over the No. 12 Verizon Chevrolet from Will Power, the two-time series champ who had been with the team since 2009.

They're big shoes to fill, but thanks to a stellar season at AJ Foyt Racing in 2025, Malukas was quite clearly the man for the job.

"I was going to say, you know, it sounds good," Malukas said about having "Team Penske driver" before his name. "I was just listening to you say that I was like, ‘Yeah, Team Penske, Dave Malukas, Verizon No. 12 Chevrolet.’ Sounds good. I like that."

You can understand why. The team has been home to numerous champions, and Maulkas will slot in alongside series and Indianapolis 500 champ Josef Newgarden and race-winner Scott McLaughlin.

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But Malukas' journey to that seat was far from straightforward. 

After a pair of solid seasons with Dale Coyne Racing in 2022 and 2023, Malukas got the nod to join Arrow McLaren for 2024. However, before the season, he suffered injuries in a mountain biking accident that forced him out of the first few races of the season, and he and the team ultimately split ways.

He joined Meyer Shank Racing for the final half of that season and earned a spot at AJ Foyt Racing in 2025, which in turn led to his new ride at Penske. 

It's not how anyone would've drawn it up, but Malukas said the journey taught him some valuable lessons.

"I learned a lot," he said. "I feel like I always say everything happens for a reason, especially from 2024 until now. I really believe in that now. With the injury… it looked so dark and bleak. I actually look back on it, and I thought it was a very good thing that happened for me. I matured 10 years in one year."

Malukas said that the time out of the car allowed him to watch races from the perspective of team engineers and mechanics.

"It gave me a different perspective on a lot of things," he said. "Mainly that, [we] as drivers, when we're on track, we really don't know much of what's going on. The engineers have 10-plus screens that they're looking at and seeing all these graphs and data, and it helped me realize that when I got back into the car to kind of shut up a few times. Don't start complaining [about] these certain things because they know a lot more than you do."

That was music to every race engineer's ears.

Malukas will hop in the No. 12 on a race weekend for the first time for the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on March 1. The race has been the IndyCar season opener and, as such, carries a certain "first day of school" feel that may be even more noticeable as Malukas eases into his new role amongst the series' front-runners.

However, he said it doesn't take more than one practice session to get back in the groove.

"After the first practice — it's crazy how quick your brain can turn back into things and get back into a rhythm," he said. "After the first practice session, you're like, "Okay, everything's clicking back to me. I know where we're at. I know what's going on, and let's get to it."