Mykal McEldowney-USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images
May 24, 2026; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Team Penske driver David Malukas (12) hangs his head after finishing second place Sunday, May 24, 2026, during the 110th running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Rising IndyCar star David Maluks has had an up and down start to life with the power Team Penske, which is owned by series owner Roger Penske.
On one hand, the 24-year-old sits third in the series points standings with one race remaining and has had four runner-up finishes, including one in heartbreaking fashion at the legendary Indianapolis 500.
On the other hand, Malukas is still looking for his first win in the series, and every time he appears to have a shot at victory, things seem to fall apart for various reasons.
Here is that interview. 😳#IndyCar || @IndyCarRadio https://t.co/V8IG5PqJNh pic.twitter.com/6fPFZA4O3d
— Bryan Friedrich (@500Indy1911) August 31, 2026
David Malukas Threw Chevy Under The Bus For His Latest Failure To Win
That includes the second of two races on Sunday at The Milwaukee Mile Speedway, where Malukas led the field to the green flag on a late restart but ultimately lost the lead after what looked like a missed shift.
As it turns out, Malukas did not miss a shift. After the race, he revealed that an engine issue caused him to bog down on the restart and lose the lead.
“Yeah, I mean, Race 1, Race 2, Chevy just, they let us down,” Malukas told IndyCar Radio. “I mean, plenum events [overboost], every time I leave pit lane, I gotta be lifting, first gear, second gear. It’s ridiculous. And I mean, the team did such a good job. That car was unreal. I mean, it was already so good in Race 1 (2), and then they worked on it and got it to where it needed to be for this race. We were so fast, faster than the rest. And yeah, just got let down on that restart.”
He’s Now Walking Back Those Comments
Chevy is one of two engine providers in the series alongside Honda. And if there’s one thing race fans know, it’s that you don’t insult engine providers. They are the ones that pay the bills and keep the series running, especially in IndyCar.
So, unsurprisingly, Malukas walked his comments back on Monday.
Welp, not proud with what I said yesterday. It was childish and speaking out of frustration. Chevy has done great things for me this year and I wouldn’t be getting the results I have been without them. I apologize for what was said, immature from me.
— David Malukas (@malukasdavid) August 31, 2026
Malukas claims that the apology was not coerced.
“No one told me anything,” he posted on X. “Chevy did own up. It’s how I reacted and what I said that was wrong. I crashed in the previous race and owned up to it. However, when I crashed and forced Chevy to build a new engine for me, they didn’t put me down; they supported me.”
But even if his apology wasn’t coerced, you can be sure that either Roger Penske himself or someone within the team made it abundantly clear that you don’t bite the hand that feeds you.