Fort Worth, TX (Saturday, March 20, 2022) – Rookie David Malukas took part in his first NTT INDYCAR SERIES oval qualifying on Saturday at Texas Motor Speedway, registering the 19th fastest two-lap average around the 1.5-mile track.
Starting: 19th
Lap 1: 219.927mph
Lap 2: 219.802mph
Average speed: 219.864mph
- The driver of the #18 Dale Coyne Racing with HMD Motorsports put in a solid performance for his first oval qualifying run.
- Despite being only the second driver to take to the track he put in two consistent lap times that initially placed him ahead of oval veteran Ed Carpenter.
- Malukas was sitting in 10th with 10 drivers remaining and ended up 19th on the starting grid for the XPEL 375 once all 27 drivers took to the track.
David Malukas, #18 Dale Coyne Racing with HMD Motorsports Honda
“We were the second car out for qualifying and I definitely had a lot or nerves building up, so I was happy to be one of the first cars to go out so I didn’t have too much time to think about it. As soon as I went out, I stayed on top of my tools. Thankfully we had a lot of practice with the rookie test earlier this month and an hour this morning and we did so many qualifying sims that when it came to the real deal it felt like clockwork. It was repetitive and I knew what to do. I stayed flat and gave it the maximum I could. I think it’s the best we could do with the conditions at the time I took to the track. Overall, I’m quite happy with my qualifying performance today. Now let’s see how we do in the race tomorrow.”
dalecoyneracing.com 