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It’s a big weekend for IndyCar with the series race at Nashville Superspeedway on Sunday getting a big lead over the FIFA World Cup final, but it got off to a scary start thanks to a big crash by Team Penske’s David Malukas that ruled him out of Saturday’s qualifying session.
Malukas, in his first season behind the wheel of the No. 12 Chevrolet, lost the rear of his car mid-corner and went left rear-first into the SAFER barrier during Saturday morning practice.
It was a violent impact that destroyed the rear of Malukas’ car.
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It was obviously the end of Malukas’ training session, and he was reportedly “awake, alert and in good spirits.”
Team Penske’s David Malukas suffered a big crash during practice at Nashville Superspeedway that severely damaged his No. 12 Chevrolet and sent him to the hospital. (Photo by Brandon Badraoui/Lumen via Getty Images)
But a little later, it was revealed that Malukas was taken to a local hospital for further testing and evaluation.
IndyCar veteran Conor Daly has since been tapped to take over Malukas’ car for qualifying. However, his status for Saturday night’s practice and Sunday’s race, the Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix, remains uncertain.
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Interestingly, Malukas already had to serve a nine-place grid penalty due to an unapproved engine change.
David Malukas will miss qualifying, with Conor Daly taking his place. The team said that if the car is ready, Daly will use the session to perform a shakedown. (Photo by Brandon Badraoui/Lumen via Getty Images)
Now that the car needs major repairs after the crash, if it’s ready for qualifying, Daly’s job will be to perform a shakedown to make sure it’s ready to go for the rest of the weekend, no matter who’s on board.
Even after qualifying began, the team was still working on putting the car together, with the added bonus that if Daly competes in qualifying, he will have to drive the rest of the weekend, even if Malukas is healthy enough to return.
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Malukas currently sits fourth in the championship standings, 66 points behind leader Alex Palou, and has performed well in his first season with one of the best teams in the series.
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While he’s still looking for his first victory, the 24-year-old from Chicago has one pole, five top fives and nine top tens this year, including a second place finish at this year’s Indianapolis 500.
This week, Malukas was one of three drivers – along with Palou and Indy 500 winner Felix Rosenqvist – who visited the White House ahead of the Freedom 250 Grand Prix in Washington, DC.
