Time-topping Malukas revelling in Gateway similarities at Phoenix

Credit: Joe Skibinski

Having topped his first official oval session for Team Penske, David Malukas is embracing the similarities between Phoenix Raceway and World Wide Technology Raceway (WWTR).

The Chicagoan paced the opening day of IndyCar’s Unser Open Test on the mile-long Arizona-based oval with a 172.605 mph lap, beating new teammate Josef Newgarden by just shy of 0.6 mph. And for Malukas, there was a sense of familiarity to the 1.25-mile WWTR oval, better known as Gateway, where he has had his greatest IndyCar successes to date.

“I love it,” said Malukas, a two-time Gateway podium-sitter, of Phoenix. “Very, very nice. It feels so fast-paced to me. The track feels very short, very quick. There’s a lot going on. It’s so, so, so busy. Every lap it’s almost like you’re changing, changing, changing, changing. It keeps my mind busy; for the ADHD brain, you know, I’m always stimulated. 

“It’s amazing. I think that’s why it’s one of my favorites so far for ovals. From just the difference [Turns] 1 and 2, [Turns] 3 and 4, it’s giving me similarities to Gateway, trying to get the car setup how you like it in that short time frame on the back straight and getting the car swapped with the tools that we have in the car to get that good lap time.

“Engineers were saying: ‘Hey, if you like Gateway, this might be another one that you might like to add to your list.’ So far I think they were right. Like it a lot. It’s nice.”

Credit: Joe Skibinski

IndyCar has not visited Phoenix since 2018, making it an unknown track for 20 of the 25 drivers confirmed for the 2026 season. It remains to be seen what the racing product may be on the desert-based track with the current specification of the Dallara DW12 with the aeroscreen and hybrid unit, but at least for Malukas, it has already proven a fun track to drive.

“It’s very, very fast,” he said after his first Phoenix outing. “When you are going through especially [Turns] 1 and 2, we are on the limit. The first few laps, I saw Josef put a time up; I’m like: ‘Man, I don’t know how he’s doing that.’ 

“You actually keep pushing the car and you are like: ‘Oh, this thing, it can take a lot of grip.’ It’s very quick. It’s definitely going to be already one of my favorite tracks just to drive in. 

“Obviously racing is going to be a completely different beast to see how that handles. We didn’t get any race running [on Tuesday] so that’s going to be something more that we’re looking into [on Wednesday] and try and get an idea of [if] racing is going to be good here. I truly do hope it will be.”

Given the differences in characteristics between both sides of the track, much like at Gateway, drivers will often opt to sacrifice their car setup at one end to allow them to excel at the other. Or alternatively, they turn to a more consistent balance, without necessarily the ultimate peak performance.

Credit: Joe Skibinski

Navigating finding the optimal setup on such ovals is a challenge Malukas relishes.

“It differs driver to driver,” he said. “You can get it either set up for [Turns] 1 and 2 or set up for [Turns] 3 and 4 and try to match the difference or you can try to fight for something in between. I think that’s why I enjoy that game so much.

“Because it’s: do you want to find more time in [Turns] 1 and 2 or find more time in [Turns] 3 and 4? Or maybe try to go in between and be a little bit slower in both but overall it might be better? It adds to this game. I just have a fantastic time. 

“It’s like a big game of chess, trying to figure out where we want the setup. With all these great minds at Team Penske, it makes it a lot more fun.”

On Tuesday, it would appear by the speed charts that Malukas struck gold, validated by teammate Newgarden finishing second and Scott McLaughlin also populating the top 10 for Penske in eighth. But as is always the case in testing, different programmes for different teams lead to a reluctance to read too much into the time sheets.

“It’s hard for test days because you’re running through your own plans,” he said. “But of course, it feels good. We know that we have pace. The car is good and we’ve kicked off our oval set with the team on a strong suit. So I feel confident. 

Credit: Joe Skibinski

“But is it what we were aiming for today? No, we just ran through our test plan and we managed to get a time up on the board. Does it feel good? Yeah, I would say it feels good.”

Regardless, speaking to the media afterwards, Malukas was effervescent and often struggling to contain his smile and excitement as he embarks on his new chapter at Penske, having replaced the great, Andretti-bound Will Power this off-season. 

“I’m feeling great,” he said. “This is the best I’ve felt in a very long time. The chemistry I have with the guys, the team, I’m just so happy. I get to race this beautiful car. It’s fantastic. It’s a dream for me. So every time I come in and out of the pits, I’m smiling. 

“I’ve got a big smile on my face and, on top of that, it adds to the performance. You see that with all the other guys. Everybody is on it. They have their own missions to make sure that, as a team, we can get good results. Just being in that environment, it’s perfect.”