David Malukas
A young American driver whose fearless overtakes and raw speed have made him one of IndyCar's most exciting new talents.
Born 2001 (age 25)·American racing driver·Birthday: September 27·Generation Z
Biography
David Malukas arrived in the IndyCar Series not with a whisper, but with the screech of tires. The son of a Lithuanian racing team owner, he grew up around garages, his path to the top American open-wheel series forged through the junior formulas. His 2022 rookie season with Dale Coyne Racing was a statement, highlighted by a stunning second-place finish on the streets of Nashville where he dueled with established champions. That performance, built on a combination of surgical precision and aggressive racecraft, announced him as more than just a prospect. His move to Team Penske for the 2026 season places him in the most prestigious seat in the sport, tasked with continuing a legacy of winners. Malukas represents a new generation: digitally native, fiercely competitive, and unafraid to challenge the established order on any type of circuit.
Generation Z
1997–2012
Born into smartphones, social media, and school shootings. The most diverse generation in history. Pragmatic about money, fluid about identity, anxious about the climate. They do not remember a world before the internet.
David was born in 2001, placing them squarely in the Generation Z. The events that shaped this generation — social media, climate anxiety, and a pandemic — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When David Was Born
The biggest hits of 2001
#1 Movie
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Best Picture
A Beautiful Mind
#1 TV Show
Survivor
David's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
2001Born
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2006Started school
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2014Became a teenager
Russia annexes Crimea; Ebola outbreak in West Africa
Gas: $3.37/galHome: $160,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Happy" — Pharrell WilliamsBest Picture: Birdman
2017Could drive
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2019Could vote
First image of a black hole; Hong Kong protests
Gas: $2.60/galHome: $224,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Old Town Road" — Lil Nas XBest Picture: Parasite
2022Turned 21
Russia invades Ukraine; Queen Elizabeth II dies
Gas: $3.97/galHome: $348,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"As It Was" — Harry StylesBest Picture: Everything Everywhere All at Once
2026Age 25 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Secured a coveted full-time IndyCar Series drive with the historic Team Penske for the 2026 season.
- Earned a first IndyCar podium with a second-place finish at the 2022 Music City Grand Prix in Nashville.
- Finished as vice-champion in the 2021 Indy Lights series, winning three races.
- Competed in the prestigious Indianapolis 500 multiple times as a rookie and sophomore driver.
Did You Know?
His father, Henry Malukas, is the owner of HMD Motorsports, which fields cars in the Indy NXT series.
He is an avid sim racer and often streams his virtual racing sessions.
Malukas is of Lithuanian descent and has expressed pride in representing that heritage in motorsport.
He began karting at the age of 8.
“Every corner is a question, and the throttle is my answer.”
