Highest Finishing Rookie David Malukas Leads Laps and Finishes 11th in Texas

Fort Worth, TX (Sunday, March 20, 2022) – Rookie David Malukas led some laps and was the highest finishing rookie in Sunday’s XPEL 375 at Texas Motor Speedway with an impressive 11th place finish. His teammate Takuma Sato (#51 Nurtec ODT – Dale Coyne Racing with RWR) had a good start to the 248-lap race but unfortunate contact put an early end to his race.

Fort Worth, TX (Sunday, March 20, 2022) – Rookie David Malukas put in a stellar performance on Sunday aboard his #18 Dale Coyne Racing with HMD Motorsport entry crossing the finish line in 11th as the best ranking rookie after leading three laps along the way.

Started: 19th 
Finished: 11th

Malukas moved up to 10th before heading to pit lane for his first stop on Lap 60 but then unfortunately stalled exiting his pit box and lost precious positions on track.

• However, he bounced back from going as low as 26th following his first pit stop to finish 11th in the 248-lap event.
• The rookie stayed out of trouble all race long and was sitting 20th at the halfway mark of the race. 
• He then continued to gain positions as the race went on climbing as high as first by lap 198. 
• After leading his first three NTT INDYCAR SERIES laps, Malukas entered pit lane for his final stop on lap 201.
• From then on, Malukas gained another five positions, making some nice passes to climb all the way to 11th and claim his best IndyCar finish so far.

David Malukas, #18 Dale Coyne Racing with HMD Motorsports Honda
“Wow, that’s a long race! Thank goodness for those yellows, it allowed me to rest a bit. We had a few incidents or moments, I guess. I stalled in pit lane and then had a moment trying to make a pass driving on the second line, but throughout all of it we were able to come out in 11th. I think that really shows how great IndyCar is and how great Texas Motor Speedway is. You have moments where unfortunate things can happen but you can still be a front runner. I want to thank the team for giving me a great car and everyone for their support.”

Strong Start Ends with Unfortunate Contact for Sato in Texas

Fort Worth, TX (Sunday, March 20, 2022) – Takuma Sato saw his strong start to the XPEL 375 at Texas Motor Speedway come to an early end after contact from another driver pushed him towards the wall. 

Started: 3rd
Finished: 20th

• Sato remained in the top 3 for the majority of his first stint and pit from the lead on Lap 63 for his first stop.
• Unfortunately for Sato, his teammate stalled exiting his pit box when he was about to enter his, which ended up costing him positions on track.
• Following the mishap in the pits Sato returned to the track in 17th but would later be taken out by Devlin DeFrancesco who had a ‘moment’ and clipped Sato’s front tire.
• The contact sent the #51 Nurtec ODT driver towards the wall and despite just making slight contact, the crew had to make repairs to his car’s suspension.Sato managed to head back on track but the damage was done and he choose to retire with an ill driving car on lap 153, after moving into 20th place. 

Next Up: Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach – April 8 – 10, 2022