David Malukas is no longer rideless in the 2024 NTT IndyCar Series season.
The young American will take over driving duties for the remainder of the season in the No. 66 Meyer Shank Racing Honda, starting at the eighth round at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Meyer Shank announced June 7.
“This whole process has been extremely difficult on myself and (team co-owner) Jim Meyer,” team principal Mike Shank said in a team release. “There were so many things for us to consider as we need to do everything we can to make up ground in the championship and Leader Circle standings.
“We are pleased to have David Malukas join us as he has both experience and potential and we are looking forward to having him join us starting in Milwaukee for the test and then going racing with him at Laguna.”
Malukas will jump in the car that rookie Tom Blomqvist started the season in before being replaced with four-time Indianapolis 500 winner and team principal Helio Castroneves at Detroit. Castroneves will also pilot the car in the XPel Grand Prix at Road America.
Originally signed to drive the Arrow McLaren No. 6, Malukas was released before the Indianapolis 500 as he continued recovery from a wrist injury sustained in the off-season. Laguna Seca will Malukas’s first race in 2024.
“I am extremely grateful to Jim Meyer, Mike Shank and the entire Meyer Shank Racing team for the opportunity to finish out the 2024 NTT IndyCar Series season,” Malukas said. “Despite setbacks earlier this year, I have been diligently focusing on my recovery, putting in the necessary effort and dedication to get back to peak condition.
“I am ready and excited to be back in the car, aiming to make the most of this chance and deliver strong performances for the team and our supporters. This opportunity means a great deal to me, and I am determined to repay the faith shown in me with my best efforts on the track.”
The third-year driver finished 17th in the championship last year, with six top 10s, and a best result of third at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway.
About the author
Tom is an IndyCar writer at Frontstretch, joining in March 2023. Besides writing the IndyCar Previews and the occasional Inside Indycar, he will hop on as a fill-in guest on the Open Wheel podcast The Pit Straight. His full-time job is with the Department of Veterans Affairs History Office and is a lieutenant colonel in the Army National Guard. After graduating from Purdue University with a Creative Writing degree, he was commissioned in the Army and served a 15-month deployment as a tank platoon leader with the 3d ACR in Mosul, Iraq. A native Hoosier, he calls Fort Wayne home. Follow Tom on Twitter @TomBlackburn42.
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