Malukas to Start from Row 5 at Portland

Portland, OR (Saturday, September 3, 2022) – Dale Coyne Racing and drivers David Malukas (#18 HMD Dale Coyne Racing with HMD Motorsports) and Takuma Sato (#51 Nurtec ODT – Dale Coyne Racing with RWR) took part in qualifying for the Grand Prix of Portland on Saturday with Malukas qualifying 10th and Sato 22nd. Details for both drivers are below.

Malukas to Start from
Row 5 at Portland

#18: David Malukas, Dale Coyne Racing with HMD Honda

Portland, OR (Saturday, September 3, 2022) – Rookie David Malukas (#18 HMD Dale Coyne Racing with HMD Motorsports) made it to the Fast 12 for the sixth time this season and placed himself 10th on the grid for Sunday’s Grand Prix of Portland.

Starting: 10th

Round 1 (group 2): 4th
Best Lap: 58.0506 

Round 2: 10th
Best Lap: 58.4038

  • Malukas went out in Group 2 of Round 1 of qualifying and registered a fastest lap of 58.0506 seconds on his seventh timed lap of the session.
  • His fast lap initially placed him second in the group, but he ended up fourth by the time the checkered flag fell on the 10-minute session.
  • In Round 2, Malukas’ fastest lap of 58.4038 seconds placed him sixth when he took the checkered flag but once all drivers had completed their final lap, he had fallen to 10th, just seven hundredths of a second separating him from another trip to the Firestone Fast 6.
  • Malukas is making his first NTT INDYCAR SERIES start at Portland International Raceway but he has competed at the 12-turn, 1.964-mile road course in Indy Lights and Pro Mazda.
  • During his last trip to Portland, he finished first and second in the Indy Lights Doubleheader weekend.
  • The rookie picked up his first podium of the season at the previous round at World Wide Technology Raceway. He has a best start of fifth (Toronto).

David Malukas, #18 Dale Coyne Racing with HMD Motorsports Honda
“We did make it to the second segment today, but we didn’t really have the pace that we needed to make it to the Firestone Fast 6. Yesterday in practice we were very, very quick and it seems that with the higher track temps that’s when we succeed. Once the track temps cool down, we start to struggle a little bit. We tried in Practice 2 this morning to find that time and we couldn’t really get it there, but we did find a bit and closed the gap a little. It’s not the result we wanted today in qualifying, but I think it’s all good. If a P10 is bad for us, then I think it’s all going swell.”

Sato Looking to Repeat 2018 Performance in Portland

#51: Takuma Sato, Dale Coyne Racing with RWR Honda

Portland, OR (Saturday, September 3, 2022) – Takuma Sato (#51 Nurtec ODT- Dale Coyne Racing with RWR) is hoping to repeat his performance from the 2018 Grand Prix of Portland where he moved up from 20th on the grid to take the win after placing 22nd in the starting lineup for the Grand Prix of Portland.

Starting: 22nd
Round 1 (group 2): 11th
Best Lap: 58.6058

  • Sato took to the track in Group 2 in the first round of qualifying.
  • He recorded his best time on his eighth and final lap around the 12-turn, 1.964-mile road course with a lap of 58.6058 seconds.
  • His fastest lap placed him 11th in his group, and less than half a second from making it to the second round.
  • This will be Sato’s fourth race at Portland International Raceway, in his first appearance in 2018, he climbed to the top step of the podium after starting from the 20th position. 
  • His best starting position at PIR is 17th.
  • In 15 races this season, Sato has a best finish of fifth (World Wide Technology Raceway) and a best starting position of second on the streets of Detroit this year.

Career facts: 

  • Has six INDYCAR SERIES wins (2013 – Long Beach; 2017 – Indy 500; 2018 – Portland; 2019 – Barber, Gateway: 2020 – Indy 500) 
  • 10 poles (2011 – Iowa, Edmonton; 2013 – Houston Race 1; 2014 – St. Pete, Detroit Race 2; 2017 – Detroit Race 2, Pocono; 2019 – Barber, Texas; 2020 St. Louis Race 2)

Takuma Sato #51 Nurtec ODT Honda – Dale Coyne Racing with RWR
“We had a bit of a scary issue in practice yesterday and I lost a lot of track time, so I lost the chance to try the red Firestone tire. The only chance I had was this morning in practice, so it was a little bit challenging for us going into qualifying. We did try hard. The outcome wasn’t what we wished but the 51 Nurtec ODT car was pretty good in the final practice, and I feel much more positive after moving up to 13th in that session. I think we are wide open strategy wise. We can do many, many things and we can still overtake so I look forward to tomorrow’s race.”

Race Info:
Grand Prix of Portland
Portland International Raceway

Race 16 of 17
September 4, 2022
Race Broadcast: 3pm ET on NBC