David Malukas to Take Over No. 12 Chevrolet at Team Penske
By David Morgan, Associate Editor
Team Penske made it official on Thursday that David Malukas will take over the No. 12 Chevrolet for 2026 and beyond in a multi-year deal with the team.
Malukas, the 23-year-old from Chicago, had long been rumored as the successor to Will Power to move into the seat once the veteran departed and now that has been confirmed.
“We are excited to add David Malukas as the next driver of the No. 12 Verizon Chevrolet,” said Roger Penske. “We feel that Team Penske will provide David everything needed to take the next step in his career, and we are confident that he will continue the great legacy of the Verizon Chevrolet.”
Power announced his departure from the team in early September after 17 seasons with Team Penske and will drive for Andretti Global next season.
After scoring the Indy NXT Rookie of the Year title in 2019 and a seven-win season in the series in 2021, Malukas made his NTT IndyCar Series debut in 2022 driving for Dale Coyne Racing, where he scored two podium finishes in his two years there.
Malukas was slated to drive for Arrow McLaren starting with the 2024 campaign, but a mountain biking accident sidelined him for the start of the year and he would eventually find himself on the outs with the team, landing at Meyer Shank Racing for the second half of 2024.
In 2025, Malukas made the jump to A.J. Foyt Racing, which has a technical alliance with Team Penske, scoring two top-five finishes and five top-10 finishes en route to an 11th place finish in the standings.
His best finish came with a runner-up result in the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500.
“Racing for Team Penske is the goal for every young racecar driver, and I am honored to be one that gets to live out that dream,” said Malukas.
“Will Power is one of the legends of our sport and the No. 12 Verizon Chevrolet is one of the most-recognized cars on the grid. These are big shoes to fill, but I look at it as an opportunity because I know that it is one of the best teams in the paddock.”
