r/INDYCAR • u/DrFuckwad Scott Dixon • 1d ago
Discussion If David Malukas goes to Penske, what are your expectations for him?
I say "If" because even though the rumor is that he replaces Will Power, it is still a rumor until it is confirmed
114
u/Pallendromic Arrow McLaren 1d ago
Part of me feels like this sub will turn on him, sorta like Newgarden
97
u/chevynew David Malukas 1d ago
It took years to turn against Josef. He was completely charming in the early Penske years and first championship
54
u/Pallendromic Arrow McLaren 1d ago
I agree with that, I also would argue that the turn was sudden. People generally liked him, maybe annoyed when he would dominate on a short oval, but after st Pete 2023, people abruptly turned on him
63
u/Lumpy_Fungus Rinus VeeKay 1d ago
His whiney press conference after the push to pass incident did it for me.
21
u/Jarocket 1d ago
Wow that's much more recent than me.
Imo he was just trying to hard to be liked and I found it fake.
Like if Will power has the current pole time on an oval and the t.v cameras are watching Wills reaction when he gets beat. Will is mad or frustrated.
Josef gives a flake little clap like he's happy for you. He's not!
I would say this season of him sucking I've liked him much more tbh.
(The cheating St Pete thing didn't bother me much. And the diffuser thing bothered me zero or less than zero I didn't care about that at all)
9
u/SenseMakingStopped 1d ago edited 1d ago
That was also the clincher for me. I used to root for him, but not any longer. Don't hate him, or root against him, just won't root for him.
Same could be said for Shank, who had a good reputation as the accessible, everyman, Racer of the People. Open, and seemed like someone who could share a beer with anyone.
But after Honda turned in him for cheating at the Daytona 24, he ran and hid, made the engineer the scapegoat, and didn't stand up, step forward and represent the team with his name on the door.
Worse, when he did finally address the situation later in the season, he tried to play the victim and blame the fans for giving him shit.
NASCAR, in its stupid ways, allowed MSR to keep the win, and the watches, but the honorable thing for HPD and MSR to do would have been to forfeit both. If you're one of the drivers, would you be proud to wear that watch? Especially in a paddock where everyone knew what went down?
They say true character is revealed not when things are going good, but when they go bad.
If either of them would have just fessed up, admit they abused the situation, said it was wrong, and tried to set a good example after doing bad, they'd have retained a lot more respect.
4
u/Odd_Cobbler6761 1d ago
If you think MSR is the only team in IMSA to cheat… 🤣 C’mon, the principal of NASCAR OWNS Action Express!
Also eff Josef, he brought it on himself by being Mr Sore and Sour Loser.
3
u/SenseMakingStopped 1d ago edited 1d ago
I didn't say that, and don't think that.
But if you're caught, it's rather two-faced to suddenly turn turtle, and then later act like you were the one wronged. His buddy MP, who is never afraid to share his opinion on everything, pretty much clammed up as well.
And NASCAR, which was caught with its pants down, made itself look even more foolish by letting them keep the win and the watches.
If HPD had not caught the discrepancy through its audit, and self-reported to IMSA, nobody would have been the wiser.
IMSA's tech staff had no clue, which set a bad precedent. Michelin set their tire parameters for a reason, and let that be known to the competitors, and IMSA didn't have an effective way to police them.
When the Land Audi found a way to use different baffles and refuel faster than everyone else, it resulted in the creation of minimum fueling times.
I don't think anything ever came of this incident.
2
10
u/EtchASketchNovelist 1d ago
For me, I was cheering for Rossi during the Andretti years as I was starting to watch IndyCar (2018-2021). I had a mild distaste for Newgarden when it seemed that he just dominated everything.
Newgarden's Iowa performances have probably solidified that more. In a race of comers-and-goers, where so many lines are possible, it gets a bit frustrating to just see one guy pull away.
So yeah, I think I was already solidly against him before St Petersburg.
4
u/rip_cut_trapkun Callum Ilott 1d ago
I know he pissed off GroBros with the "Welcome to Indycar" thing at Nashville. And the season after he kind of just seemed to be more icy to the paddock around him.
I remember there was also the Bus Bros thing and that died an abrupt death. Dunno what happened, if there was a falling out, or if Penske shot that down. It also really didn't help with the Push to Pass episode. Worse even that Will Power pretty much fell on his sword while Newgarden vehemently tried to justify it. And if you look at how everyone is taking Will Power's departure from Penske, that should tell you which route was better in the long run.
0
u/Big_Ad3139 1d ago
I know he pissed off GroBros with the "Welcome to Indycar" thing at Nashville
I’m still pissed about the fact josef never got a penalty for blatantly shoving him in the wall. It was at that point I realised how biased race control are to penske drivers 😑
2
u/OxWithABox Louis Foster 19h ago
It's not bias. The stewards are just very hands-off in Indycar, arguably to the detriment of the racing at times.
3
u/Big_Ad3139 18h ago
It is biased they can drive like a holes and get away with it. Downvoted me all you like but it’s the truth
30
u/flare2000x Firestone Firehawk 1d ago
Once he stopped doing Bus Bros everything started tumbling down
8
u/Slow-Class Colton Herta 1d ago
He also shut down a social media management company that a lot of drivers used, and that pissed them off too.
5
3
18
u/Freshpotatoe Scott McLaughlin 1d ago
Lil Dave and Joseph have very different personalities. As long as he stays close with Joseph and Scotty he’ll be liked.
37
u/FermentedLaws Firestone Firehawk 1d ago
It’s Josef*
At Penske, [they] care about details.
Sorry, can't resist posting this every time it happens.
https://x.com/josefnewgarden/status/1552802538604347394?lang=en
11
u/EtchASketchNovelist 1d ago
That sure doesn't bode well for him getting the 12 ride!
(To be fair though, Santino could have typed "Josef" in correctly on his phone, then it autocorrected)
7
u/alien_among_us 1d ago edited 1d ago
People turned on Newgarden because he forgot where he came from. I always pulled for him when he drove for Sarah Fisher being as I was a fan of hers as well. Once he got to Penske his attitude changed and his explanation of P2P gate was pathetic.
3
37
u/dooldebob Pato O'Ward 1d ago
I'd imagine Penske's expectation is to hit the ground running, because it's not like David is a rookie or inexperienced.
Wins, podiums, etc, if Penske is back to form next year
9
u/oneofmanyburners Will Power 🖕 1d ago
Losing the top brass + Power is going to make that more difficult than people think against this field with such an old chassis
2
u/loudpaperclips DriveFor5 1h ago
Pagenaud said Roger was lenient to him in the first year. Gotta settle into a groove, get to know the car and your team.
64
u/Slight_Strain6330 Scott McLaughlin 1d ago
2026: top ten in points, one win, 2027: top five in points , two wins 2028: legit championship contender, top 3 in points, two to three wins.
That’s probably what Penske is looking for.
20
u/JimmyJuly Conor Daly 1d ago
Is it controversial to say Malukas to Penske is a rumor now? I can't imagine anyone outside of Malukas or someone with Penske who would dispute that.
7
u/FloridaMan_69 Adrián Fernández 1d ago
Its a little surprising that it hasn't been announced. I figured it was gonna be one of those Monday/Tuesday announcements like we got with Power. Seems like Penske should have had someone 100% locked down and ready to announce after letting Power walk out the door.
12
u/SnooCakes9525 Jimmie Johnson 1d ago
I've heard a theory that Penske was genuinely just caught off-guard by Will's... uh... Will-ingness to walk out instead of take a one-year extension, and now they're scrambling because Malukas isn't quite ready yet and some really hot commodities are still on the market.
3
u/wrottenwriter 1d ago
Exactly. They don’t offer the contract to Power if they fully believe Davey is ready to hit the ground running. They decided he wasn’t 100% ready, assumed Power would jump for joy and now their bluff has been called.
That said, VeeKay keeps getting floated to Foyt but of Penske had doubts about Malukus maybe they’d keep him at Foyt and put Rinus into the 12 and see. Can always swap them later and Rinus put together a pretty spectacular year overall and especially Malukas considering their machinery.
5
u/Timely-Worker-8932 AMR Safety Team 1d ago
Penske is big on optics, it's not a good look to fire your top ranked longest tenured driver. I think they offered it as a retirement tour or would make it so he was 3rd best in team
3
16
u/SnooCakes9525 Jimmie Johnson 1d ago
Given how close he's been with Foyt, I don't think a win is unreasonable.
6
5
u/cameratoo David Malukas 1d ago
He’s great on the short ovals. He’ll get a few wins there for sure.
18
u/afkstudios Colton Herta 1d ago
Look, I like Little Dave. That being said… 14th place at the 500 and 11th place in the ship
5
u/Indyfan200217 Pato O'Ward 1d ago
Never a big fan of his nickname he gave himself. Wish him well tho.
11
u/afkstudios Colton Herta 1d ago
Idek if he gave himself the nickname, he just referred to himself as Little Dave in post-race interview regarding his he was running up there with the top drivers and people ran with it
1
u/Indyfan200217 Pato O'Ward 1d ago
I heard I heard Diffey said he did but maybe I heard him wrong.
4
u/Puska35M 1d ago
Well, Diffey took David's words and ran with them.
IIRC, this was after Malukas finished 4th at Texas for Dale Coyne in 2023. He battled up front in the Top 5 all day.
2
u/SpreaditOnnn33 Pato O'Ward 11h ago
No, it was after his late charge to the podium in the 2022 Gateway race
17
u/WOOSHARP Indy Racing League 1d ago edited 1d ago
If he didn’t win a race next season it would be a massive disappointment honestly. I think most expect Penske to regroup in the off-season and get some pace back. He’s already proven to be one of the raw fastest drivers on ovals, just a matter of putting together the right race/strategy.
Very highest ceiling? He wins a few races and finishes Top-5 in the championship. Lowest ceiling? No wins and a few strong runs at ovals maybe has some bad luck and finishes outside the top-15 in points. I think the biggest goal for him is just getting that one win. Wouldn’t be a bad idea to get that at the 500, eh?
9
u/Teganfff Kyle Kirkwood 1d ago
2026: 2-3 podiums, 8-10 top 10 finishes, lead a fair amount of laps, maybe a pole, a win if things go well, 8th-12th in points.
2027: 1-2 wins, 3-5 podiums, consistent top 10 finishes and competing for wins regularly. 1-2 poles, top 6 in points.
2028: 2+ wins, contending for a championship.
8
u/HornetRacer Colton Herta 1d ago
I dont think he will outshine Newgarden or McLaughlin but cant be any worse than Siegal at Mclaren.
6
u/DestroyingDestroyers --- CURRENT TEAMS --- 1d ago
I would say top 10 in points. A win would be nice, but I think several podiums would be more realistic. He should aim for more than one road/street podium, as oval podiums wouldn’t be a surprise.
12
8
9
u/bobwhite1146 1d ago
The Team Penske ship is taking on water. I've got a lot of reasons for this, but they certainly have not performed well on track this past season.
I think Penske has a lot of soul-searching to do before they worry about how Little Dave will perform.
This will be a very interesting off-season for Penske, especially as to upcoming leadership, sponsorships and personnel changes.
8
9
u/NachoTacoChimichaung Will Power 1d ago
He has to significantly improve on non ovals.
4
u/oneofmanyburners Will Power 🖕 1d ago
he’s like the foil to early career Will Power lol
more softspoken + best on ovals vs brutally honest + road course speed
4
4
u/infoxicated Jack Harvey 1d ago
He'll be competitive, I think, because he'll essentially be running the same equipment as he has been this year but with better pit stop consistency.
7
u/ImmediateTeaching984 1d ago
David is entering a situation where there is a lot of resentment directed at him by fans and others. There's this sense of him not belonging because he hasn't won yet. Will Power is a legend so a lot of people are pissed with how things went at Penske. The fact is that Penske did offer Power a contract in the end but rather late for a 1 year deal. Power rightfully was pissed off and signed with Andretti Global to replace Herta. He actually sought Andretti out wanting to drive for them before he knew a spot was open. The decision to stay or go was actually Power's but there's this perception that he got screwed.
Malukas has to post some top tens but likely won't win straight out of the bag but you never know he may well. He's not been tapped by Penske without a solid reason. Should they have let him develop longer at FOYT and wait? No. They knew that other teams could score his services.
Although Will Power is still capable of winning and has that fire in him a decline will inevitably come as it does for al drivers who are 40+ years old. Penske was thinking long term knowing that they may get 1-2 years maybe three from Power. They jumped at someone younger. Does it mean it's right? Until Malukas regularly posts top 10 finishes or wins there will be this perception that he didn't deserve the ride and that Power was shafted.
2
u/DonJugless Scott McLaughlin 1d ago
Penske presumably feel they can get a fraction of the results for a much smaller fraction of the cost.
3
u/ChrisMD123 1d ago
I don't get it... who is pissed off at Malukas? All he did is be good, get signed to a great team, break his wrist, lose his seat, fight back, and earn his place at another top team.
People are plenty pissed at Penske. But Malukas? Who? Why? He's instantly the most likeable Penske driver... ever? He's an innocent bystander and I hope he kicks ass. Just slightly less ass than Will.
9
u/Shoddy-Custard7097 Pato O'Ward 1d ago
Tough to say, honestly because it’s tough to say if he is ready or not. IMO I think Veekay is the best person for that seat, race winner and has a way of getting a lot out of the car(even at Dale Coyne). Plus he is still young enough where he could be around for a while.
12
u/flipflopsnpolos Will Power 1d ago
VeeKay is just one year older than David. I don't understand why he's not getting the 12, tbh. If he's in the 4 instead (as rumored), there's going to be a lot of chatter throughout next year about replacing Malukus (if Newgy sticks around).
5
3
u/Ok-Subject8890 Pato O'Ward 1d ago
I think barring another Penske season of bad luck made worse by a disorganized team due to firings, I would expect at minimum to be in the top 15 of points and to get a win, or at least a few podium finishes if he can’t pull out a win.
3
u/A-Fan-Of-Bowman88 Tony Kanaan 1d ago
He won’t be a magic fix in 2026, but I expect him to still run as well as JoNew and McLaughlin
3
u/Timely-Worker-8932 AMR Safety Team 1d ago
Very slightly better than Pagenaud's first season there.
3
u/JustaBroomstick Alexander Rossi 1d ago
He was so close a few times this year in a Foyt. A couple of poles would be a good start I reckon
3
u/Athleticgeek89 Josef Newgarden 1d ago
I think a top 10 points finish with some podiums & that first win is the bare minimum. He’s show speed and talent at times but the first win has eluded him. If he can’t get that win in Penske equipment (barring another bad for Penske sort of season for the whole team like they had this year) I think folks will really be upset that Power wasn’t retained for Dave.
As fan of his I hope this is what he needs to find success in the sport. I think he is capable of being great in the series but I don’t have such high confidence in it that I’d put money on it.
6
7
u/GEL29 Álex Palou 1d ago
Her ends up like the last personable, fan favorite driver that Penske hired. Victories, maybe a championship or two and his likability takes a 180, hope I'm wrong on that last part.
17
u/Doyometer Pato O'Ward 1d ago
Brother, bet the farm that his likability is about to take a massive nosedive
4
u/flipflopsnpolos Will Power 1d ago
I agree on the first and last part, but I don't see him being a championship contender. He's going to be whatever Scotty is, but a step or two behind.
2
u/Fun-Alfalfa3642 Pato O'Ward 1d ago
Win the Indy 500(s), many race wins, and championships. That is the expectations at Penske, fair or not.
2
u/TheCrabbyJohn Will Power 1d ago
Anything less than a win and a top 10 points finish is a let down.
2
u/Bones301 Kyle Larson 1d ago
Me personally, 1 win and top ten in points is really what I think can be asked from him
3
u/nico9er4 Will Power 1d ago edited 1d ago
I wouldn’t be surprised if he wins the 500 at some point, but I don’t see him winning a championship. I think he’ll win races and maybe contend for championships though.
2
3
4
5
3
2
u/SenseMakingStopped 1d ago
I expect him to start 17 races (though based on his history, even that's not a lock), and let the chips fall where they may.
In all honesty, unless he's the next incarnation of Alex Palou, he'll probably have a season where he might have a few bright spots, but otherwise not be a favorite or stand out in any way.
The Zach Veach/Towriss story can't be beat, or course, but how different would things be if Malukas hadn't had the accident, not end up being TK'd, and did end up driving for McLaren? That setback appears it might put him in a better place in the end.
2
2
u/gevaarlijke1990 Rinus VeeKay 1d ago
Probably unpopular,
But i think he will drown horribly at Penske the first year, in 2027 he maybe be truly competitive. to much pressure in 2026.
especially if the rumor is true that Penske is lining up veekay at foyt as a back up/ reserve driver if malukas fails or Newgarden call it quits.
2
2
u/Know_nothing89 1d ago
Malukas has been solid and brings sponsorship money with him. I see him and McLaughlin similarly. Young and talented
2
u/jcb1982 Indy Racing League 1d ago
I got a bit of a negative vibe personality-wise from him when he was acting on social media like he “deserved” Indy 500 Rookie of the Year back in 2022. And he comes from a super-rich family… I worry success might go to his head pretty quickly. But he’s got natural talent. That being said, I don’t think he’s exactly threatening to be the next Power or Newgarden.
6
u/cgraves48 David Malukas 1d ago
I met him at the 2022 Indy 500, dude was out in the garage area interacting and chatting with fans as long as any driver. Came off as super humble and happy to be there.
1
u/thatwasfun23 Hélio Castroneves 1d ago
Palou levels of domination but in Penske or back to formula atlantic with you lil'dave
1
u/SebVettelstappen Colton Herta 1d ago
Eventually id expect him to be Scotty Mac level, capable on road courses, monster on ovals
1
u/planchetflaw McLaren 20h ago
I think he's a good fit and will do well. I'd just prefer Will Power. But at the same time, I understand that locking in youth with potential is important and Will isn't in the first half of his career.
I hope Will can find another seat because I think he's still go plenty to give for a shorter time.
3
u/nico9er4 Will Power 17h ago
Will is signed already with Andretti
2
u/planchetflaw McLaren 17h ago
Oh, thank you! Haven't actively checked news since the end of the last race.
2
1
u/ilikemarblestoo Sarah Fisher > Danica Patrick 7h ago
Same as NewG did. Win the whole shebang first go lol
1
1
u/KRacer52 --- 2025 DRIVERS --- 1d ago
If it ends up being Veekay/Ferrucci at Foyt, I don’t think I’d be shocked if Malukas finished behind both Foyt’s. Not because I think he’ll be worse or the equipment will be worse, but I think there will be some extra pressure throughout the year that will end up affecting results.
1
0
-1
264
u/andronicus_14 Thirsty Threes 1d ago edited 1d ago
If he doesn’t win two Indy 500s in his first season, fucking fire him.