David Malukas IndyCar’s Meyer Shank Racing #66 Honda On Laguna Sega Racing Part 2 9 17 2024 (2).mp3

DAVID MALUKAS FILE

Date of Birth: September 27
Birthplace: Chicago, IL
Resides: Carmel IN

Malukas moved into the USF PRO Championship (formerly Road to Indy) in 2017, starting with the USF 2000 Championship. Working his way through the Pro Mazda and Indy Lights series over the next four race seasons (2017-2021), Malukas scored runner-up in the Indy Lights (now Indy NXT) Championship in 2021 before making his INDYCAR SERIES debut in 2022.

Malukas scored his first-ever INDYCAR podium in his first year of competition and followed that up with a second podium finish the following season, both at World Wide Technology Raceway. Now, Malukas will step into the No. 66 AutoNation / Arctic Wolf Honda at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca and run with Meyer Shank Racing through the end of the INDYCAR season.

FAST FACTS: Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey

Race weekend: Friday, June 21-Sunday, June 23

Track: WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, a 2.238-mile permanent road course in Monterey, California

Race distance:

NTT INDYCAR SERIES

Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey: 95 laps / 212.61 miles

INDY NXT by Firestone

INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey Race 1 & 2: 35 laps / 78.33 miles / 55 minutes (each race)

Push to pass parameters:

NTT INDYCAR SERIES

150 seconds of total time with a maximum time of 15 seconds per activation

INDY NXT by Firestone

150 seconds of total time with a maximum time of 15 seconds per activation

Firestone tire allotment:

NTT INDYCAR SERIES: Six sets primary, four sets alternate to be used during the event weekend. Teams must use one set of primary and one new set of alternate tires unless wet conditions are declared. One additional set is available for the weekend’s first session to teams fielding a rookie driver.

INDY NXT by Firestone: Three new sets to be used during the event weekend. Two carryover sets from the Road America event may be used during Friday’s practice sessions.

X: @WeatherTechRcwy, @INDYCAR, @INDYNXT, #FirestoneGP, #INDYCAR

Instagram: @weathertechraceway, @INDYCAR, @INDYNXT, #FirestoneGP, #INDYCAR

Threads: @INDYCAR, @INDYNXT

Facebook: @WeatherTechRaceway, @INDYCAR, @INDYNXT, #FirestoneGP, #INDYCAR

TikTok: @INDYCAR, #FirestoneGP, #INDYCAR

YouTube: @INDYCAR

Event website: www.weathertechraceway.com

INDYCAR website: www.IndyCar.com

INDY NXT by Firestone website: www.indynxt.com

2023 race winners:

NTT INDYCAR SERIES

Scott Dixon (No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda)

INDY NXT by Firestone

Race 1: Hunter McElrea (No. 27 Andretti Autosport)

Race 2: Christian Rasmussen (No. 6 HMD Motorsports)

2023 NTT P1 Award winner (NTT INDYCAR SERIES): Felix Rosenqvist (No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet), 1:06.6416, 120.897 mph

2023 INDY NXT by Firestone pole winners:

Race 1: Hunter McElrea (No. 27 Andretti Autosport), 1:12.3117, 111.418 mph

Race 2: Christian Rasmussen (No. 6 HMD Motorsports), 1:11.7225, 112.333 mph

Qualifying records:

NTT INDYCAR SERIES

Christian Lundgaard, 1:06.4610, 121.226 mph, Sept. 9, 2023

INDY NXT by Firestone

Christian Rasmussen, 1:11.7225, 112.333 mph, Sept. 9, 2023

USA Network race telecast: Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey, 6 p.m. ET Sunday, June 23, USA Network (live). Kevin Lee is the play-by-play announcer for USA Network’s coverage of the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey, alongside analysts Townsend Bell and James Hinchcliffe. Georgia Henneberry and Dillon Welch are the pit reporters.

Peacock Live Streaming: All NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice sessions and qualifying will stream live on Peacock, NBC’s direct-to-consumer livestreaming product, while the USA Network’s race telecast of the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey will be simulcast on the streaming service. The INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey will be streamed on Peacock, with practice and qualifying being shown on INDYCAR LIVE.

INDYCAR Radio Network broadcasts: Mark Jaynes is the anchor alongside analyst Davey Hamilton. Jake Query and Nick Yeoman are the turn announcers. Michael Young and Dan Rusanowsky are the pit reporters. The Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey race (6 p.m. ET Sunday), INDY NXT Grand Prix of Monterey doubleheader (3:20 p.m. ET Saturday and 3:50 p.m. ET Sunday) and all NTT INDYCAR SERIES and INDY NXT by Firestone practices and qualifying sessions air live on network affiliates, SiriusXM 218, racecontrol.indycar.com and the INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA.

At-track schedule (all times local):

Friday, June 21

1:10-1:35 p.m. – INDY NXT by Firestone practice 1, INDYCAR LIVE

2-3:15 p.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice 1, Peacock

3:40-4:05 p.m. – INDY NXT by Firestone practice 2, INDYCAR LIVE

Saturday, June 22

9-9:30 a.m. – INDY NXT by Firestone Qualifying (Two groups, 12-minutes each / Fastest lap determines the lineup for Race 1, second fastest lap determines the lineup for Race 2), INDYCAR LIVE

10-11 a.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice 2 (45 minutes limited guarantee), Peacock

12:30 p.m. – INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey Race 1 “Drivers Start Your Engines”

12:35 p.m. – INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey Race 1 (35 laps / 78.33 miles / 55 minutes), Peacock

2:15 p.m. – Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey NTT P1 Award qualifying (three rounds of knockout qualifying), Peacock

Sunday, June 23

Noon-12:30 p.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES final practice, Peacock

1 p.m. – INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey Race 2 “Drivers Start Your Engines”

1:05 p.m. – INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey Race 2 (35 laps / 78.33 miles / 55 minutes), Peacock

3 p.m. – USA Network on air

3:23 p.m. – Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey “Drivers, start your engines”

3:30 p.m. – Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey (95 laps/212.61 miles), USA Network (Live)

Race Notes:

• There have been six winners in seven NTT INDYCAR SERIES races in the 2024 season. Pato O’Ward (Streets of St. Petersburg), Scott Dixon (Streets of Long Beach, Streets of Detroit), Scott McLaughlin (Barber Motorsports Park), Alex Palou (Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course), Josef Newgarden (Indianapolis 500) and Will Power (Road America) have all won in this season. The record for most different winners in a season is 11 in 2000, 2001 and 2014.
• There have been six winners in the last 10 NTT INDYCAR SERIES races: Scott Dixon, Josef Newgarden, Alex Palou, Scott McLaughlin, Pato O’Ward and Will Power. Dixon (World Wide Technology Raceway 2023, Laguna Seca 2023, Long Beach 2024 and Detroit 2024) and Palou (Portland 2023 and Indianapolis GP 2024) are the only drivers to have won multiple races over that stretch.
• The Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey will be the 27th INDYCAR SERIES race at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, but just the fifth since 2004. Teo Fabi won the first INDYCAR SERIES race at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in 1983. Scott Dixon won the race in 2023.
• Scott Dixon, Alex Palou and Colton Herta are the only former winners entered in this year’s race.

• Thirteen INDYCAR SERIES drivers have won at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca from the pole – Teo Fabi (1983), Bobby Rahal (1985), Danny Sullivan (1988), Rick Mears (1989), Danny Sullivan (1990), Michael Andretti (1991, 1992), Paul Tracy (1994), Alex Zanardi (1996), Bryan Herta (1998, 1999), Helio Castroneves (2000), Cristiano da Matta (2002), Patrick Carpentier (2003) and Colton Herta (2019, 2021).

• Team Penske has won six times at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Penske’s winning drivers are Danny Sullivan (1988, 1990), Rick Mears (1989), Paul Tracy (1993, 1994) and Helio Castroneves (2000). Chip Ganassi Racing has four wins with Scott Dixon (2023), Alex Palou (2022), Alex Zanardi (1996) and Jimmy Vasser (1997). Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing has three wins with Bryan Herta (1998, 1999) and Max Papis (2001).
• Twenty-one drivers entered in the event have competed in past INDYCAR SERIES races at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Scott Dixon has six starts, most among the entered drivers. Eight entered drivers have led laps at the track – Colton Herta 175, Alex Palou 118, Will Power 23, Dixon 22, Pato O’Ward 15, Felix Rosenqvist 11, Romain Grosjean 6 and Josef Newgarden 5.
• Rookies Luca Ghiotto, Linus Lundqvist, Christian Rasmussen, Nolan Siegel and Kyffin Simpson along with veteran driver Pietro Fittipaldi will race an NTT INDYCAR SERIES car at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca for the first time this weekend. Rasmussen won at Laguna Seca in INDY NXT by Firestone in 2022 and 2023.
• Milestones: Scott Dixon will attempt to make his 330th consecutive start, extending his record streak … Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing will make its 1,000th INDYCAR SERIES start at this event.

INDY NXT by Firestone notes:

• The INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey doubleheader will be the series’ 29th and 30th races at WeatherTech Raceway at Laguna Seca. Previous INDY NXT by Firestone winners at Laguna Seca include Bryan Herta, Andre Ribeiro, Greg Moore, Tony Kanaan, Cristiano da Matta, Scott Dixon, Townsend Bell, Spencer Pigot, Rinus VeeKay and Kyle Kirkwood. Current NTT INDYCAR SERIES rookie Christian Rasmussen and Hunter McElrea split the Grand Prix of Monterey doubleheader in 2023.
• The INDY NXT by Firestone title fight between Jacob Abel and Louis Foster heads west for its final doubleheader weekend when the INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey hits the track on Saturday and Sunday. Abel leads Foster by 19 points headed into the pair of 35-lap races, but Foster is riding the momentum of three-straight top-two finishes. The ultra-competitive 2024 season has seen four winners in six races to start the season and seven different drivers finish on the podium.
• Push to pass could play a key strategic role at Laguna Seca as INDY NXT by Firestone drivers will have a bank of 150 seconds to use an added 50 horsepower to assist in overtaking, similar to the drivers in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. The maximum amount of time for each press of the overtake system is 15 seconds.
• Group qualifying will decide the starting grid on road and street circuits. Based on the best lap times from the practice session immediately preceding qualifying, the fastest driver in that session will choose which group will compete in the first of the two qualifying sessions. With 12 minutes allotted for each group (with a guarantee of one timed lap), the fastest driver between the two sessions will be awarded pole position with the drivers who finished behind that driver, in order and in that group, occupying the odd-numbered starting positions (3, 5, 7, etc.) for the race and the drivers who finished in order from the other group occupying the even-numbered starting positions (2, 4, 6, etc.). A driver’s fastest lap will determine Race 1 position. A driver’s second-fastest lap will determine Race 2 starting position. One driver and entrant championship point will be awarded to the fastest car in each qualifying group for each race.

COURTESY MEYER SHANK RACING AND INDYCAR COMMUNICATIONS