Plainfield, IL (Wednesday, April 6, 2022) – Rookie David Malukas is coming off his best performance of his young NTT INDYCAR SERIES career with an 11th place finish in his superspeedway debut a few weeks ago in Texas. The driver of the #18 Dale Coyne Racing with HMD Motorsports Honda is looking to the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach to improve on his street circuit performance after a disappointing round in St. Petersburg, Florida.
- This weekend will mark Malukas’ first-time racing on the streets of Long Beach.
- The rookie was able to prepare for his first visit to the 1.968-mile, 11-turn street circuit thanks to some simulator testing a few weeks ago.
- In one street circuit event this year (St. Petersburg), Malukas started 24th and finished 26th after contact ended his race early.
- In addition to his best finish of 11th at Texas, the rookie has a best starting position of 19th, also registered at Texas.
David Malukas, #18 Dale Coyne Racing with HMD Motorsports Honda
“I can’t wait to get on track in Long Beach this weekend. I want some redemption on a street circuit after our race in St. Petersburg earlier this season that ended abruptly! I’m happy we were able to get a full race in at Texas. I wore a heart rate monitor for that event to get a read on the cardiovascular aspect of a race and to help me be able to simulate that at home when I work out so I can be better prepared for these races that are much longer than what I was used to in Indy Lights.
‘Also, as part of my preparation, I’ve been on the Honda simulator doing many, many laps around the Long Beach track to get me ready for the real thing. I think we have a really good car for Long Beach and I’m really excited about it. Long Beach also seems like a fun track, that tight hairpin turn at the end was very new to me on the sim, so that was fun to learn. I’ve also watched a lot of videos and talked to my teammate Takuma Sato and the team. I think we’re ready, but only time will tell once we get on track! I’m looking forward to it.”
Race Info:
Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach
Race 3 of 17
Track length: 1.968-mile, 11-turn temporary street circuit
Race Distance: 85 laps
Schedule (all times local)
Friday, April 8, 2022
Practice 1: 3:15pm – 4:15pm (Peacock & INDYCAR Radio)
Saturday, April 9, 2022
Practice 2: 8:45am – 9:45am (Peacock & INDYCAR Radio)
Qualifying: 12:05pm – 1:20pm (Peacock & INDYCAR Radio)
Sunday, April 10, 2022
Warmup: 9:00am – 9:30am (Peacock & INDYCAR Radio)
Race broadcast: Noon – 3pm (NBC & INDYCAR Radio)
Green Flag: 12:45pm
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