David Malukas made a big move in his career by joining AJ Foyt Racing in the most recent offseason. Foyt is a motorsports legend, and the opportunity to race for a team with such a rich history was irresistible for Malukas.

“Each conversation has been amazing,” he said. “Obviously, for me it was a little bit hard because I'm going into it as like it's A.J. and you're trying to have a normal conversation, but the entire time it's like I'm talking with A.J., so I'm kind of trying to act normal.

“But he was very chill. It almost felt like we were good friends, and he started talking about the stories and the past and the history. To say that he's had me on the team meant a lot, too. The conversations we've had have been great, so I just hope to give him some results in return.”

Malukas has a career-best finish of second during his three seasons in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, with Dale Coyne Racing and Meyer Shank Racing. But driving the No. 4 Chevrolet will be a significant platform to showcase his skills and contribute to the Foyt legacy while also helping the team build for its future.

The path to delivering results is consistency. Malukas is learning the team as much as the team is learning Malukas.

In racing, car setups are a blend of science and driver preference. Teams often aim to build a versatile car that can be fine-tuned for different conditions. However, a lot comes down to how each driver feels behind the wheel. Drivers have unique driving styles, and their feedback helps engineers make adjustments to the car.

Interestingly, many teams welcome different driver styles, especially in development stages. Having a mix of drivers with varying approaches gives engineers a broader data set to work with, helping them fine-tune the car’s performance across a wider range of conditions. While one driver might prefer a more aggressive setup with a looser rear end, another might want a car that feels more planted and stable.

Malukas is early in his career, especially driving with a new team. So, having Ferrucci as a teammate with two solid seasons with Foyt initiates a starting point.

As a result, Malukas’ 2025 finishes are a mixed bag, but that’s because what Ferrucci likes in a car differs from Malukas’ driving style. Malukas charged from 17th to finish 13th in the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding. He qualified 12th and finished 18th in The Thermal Club INDYCAR Grand Prix.

“We’re just working off of Santino’s setup and working from that baseline into something that we like,” Malukas said. “So, hopefully eventually we can get to the point where, ‘OK, let's unload the data.’ I think we're getting already so much closer.”

Ferrucci delivered a career-high 11 top-10 finishes last year. He finished a career-best ninth in the championship standings. Both marks were the best for the team in more than two decades. Ferrucci also won the first NTT P1 Award of his career at Portland International Raceway, the first pole for the team since 2014.

Ferrucci leads Malukas by one spot (17th to 18th) and three points in the standings.

“It's very different,” Malukas said of Ferrucci’s car setup. “He really wants it to be the rear end sliding everywhere, and it's not easy,” he said.

The next step of improvement will come when the team can dial in more of what Malukas likes in a car. That process continues to evolve, including at Thursday’s private test on the 2.439-mile, 14-turn Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. Coming up are the Indianapolis 500 Open Test next month in addition to two more race weekends, at Long Beach (April 11-13) and Barber Motorsports Park (May 2-4).

Malukas expects the team to collect enough data by that point to start dialing a setup into a car from what he likes at the IMS oval in preparation for the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge on Sunday, May 26.

During last year’s Month of May, Malukas worked with the NTT INDYCAR SERIES content team while nursing torn ligaments in his left wrist from a mountain bike accident in February 2024. That led to a premature release from his Arrow McLaren contract two months later, as he never made a start with that organization.

“I'm excited to go out there and perform and forget this injury ever – well, it's not perfectly back, but it's a lot better, so I'm really excited,” he said.