Malukas Officially Joins Team Penske In Multi-Year Deal

David Malukas has signed with Team Penske in the NTT IndyCar Series. (Team Penske photo)

MOORESVILLE, N.C. – Thursday’s NTT IndyCar Series news cycle brought with it confirmation of one of the worst-kept secrets in the paddock and officially sewed up one of the top seats on next year’s grid.

Officials from Team Penske confirmed that 23-year-old David Malukas will move over from AJ Foyt Racing to drive the iconic No. 12 Verizon Chevrolet, as part of a multi-year agreement starting in 2026.

Malukas will be just the second driver in Team Penske history to pilot the No. 12 Indy car, which was brought to prominence over nearly two decades by two-time NTT IndyCar Series champion and 2018 Indianapolis 500 winner Will Power.

It’s the biggest step in the burgeoning young star’s career, by far, and offers stability after Malukas’ hectic journey through four different organizations in the past four seasons, including an Arrow McLaren team that he never even got to officially drive for due to an early-2024 wrist injury.

“Racing for Team Penske is the goal for every young racecar driver, and I am honored to be one that gets to live out that dream,” said Malukas. “Will Power is one of the legends of our sport and the No. 12 Verizon Chevrolet is one of the most-recognized cars on the grid. These are big shoes to fill, but I look at it as an opportunity because I know that it is one of the best teams in the paddock.”

“We are excited to add David Malukas as the next driver of the No. 12 Verizon Chevrolet,” added team owner Roger Penske. “We feel that Team Penske will provide David everything needed to take the next step in his career, and we are confident that he will continue the great legacy of the Verizon Chevrolet.”

Malukas, a first-generation Lithuanian America who grew up in Chicago, Ill., Maluka began his driving career in go-karts in 2013 after watching father Henry race at Wisconsin’s Road America circuit.

Once he made it to the IndyCar ladder system, Malukas became the INDY NXT (then Indy Lights) rookie of the year in 2019 before breaking out two years later to the tune of seven wins, six poles, and a series-record 16 podium finishes on his way to a runner-up points finish in 2021.

Since his NTT IndyCar Series debut in 2022, Malukas has tallied five top-five and 16 top-10 finishes in 61 races across the board, but perhaps his best moments have come on the sport’s biggest stage at the legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

After earning 2021 Indianapolis 500 rookie-of-the-year honors, Malukas turned the fastest lap of the race in 2022 and was the runner-up finisher this past year with AJ Foyt Racing in the 109th edition of the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.

Malukas’ Team Penske debut will come Sunday, March 1 when the 2026 NTT IndyCar Series season begins with the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on the streets of St. Petersburg, Fla.

Broadcast coverage will air on the FOX broadcast network, with a specific start time announced later.