BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — David Malukas’ “Ride of a Lifetime” has turned into an unrealized dream.
On Monday morning, the 22-year-old NTT IndyCar Series driver from Chicago was released from his contract with Arrow McLaren.
He never appeared in IndyCar competition for the team.
By missing the fourth race of the NTT IndyCar Series season in Sunday’s Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix, it triggered a clause in his contract that gave Arrow McLaren the option to terminate his services.
Arrow McLaren exercised that option and Malukas is no longer a member of the team.
The team released the following statement:
“Arrow McLaren today announced that the team has released David Malukas for the remainder of the 2024 NTT IndyCar Series season due to him being unavailable for the entirety of the season to date, with no confirmed return date, as a result of a left wrist injury, which occurred February 11, in a mountain biking incident.
“The team has raced at four events with two different drivers, both who were new to the team following David’s incident and currently race in other series: Callum Ilott and Théo Pourchaire.
“David joined the team in September 2023 and was set to race his third NTT IndyCar Series season with Arrow McLaren until this wrist injury sidelined him from races in St. Petersburg (Fla.), The Thermal Club in Palm Springs (Calif.), Long Beach, and Barber Motorsports Park.
“Arrow McLaren is finalizing its driver assignments for the remainder of the 2024 season and will announce confirmations for upcoming races in due course.”
Following the announcement, Malukas also released a statement.
“The past three months have been challenging,” Malukas began. “I felt privileged to have had the opportunity to drive for Arrow McLaren and regret that it never materialized. I would have loved to have continued representing the team and its partners going forward. They have been good, and I appreciate all they have done for me.
“I’ve done everything possible to speed up the rehab process—treatments, physiotherapy, strength training—but my recovery has taken longer than anticipated. Every injury is different, and every body heals at a different pace. I’ll turn my full attention to getting back to 100 percent and then prove that I am ready and able to compete to win.”
Malukas sustained a broken left wrist in a mountain bike crash in February that required extensive surgery on February 13.
With pins and screws in his wrist and wearing a cast, Malukas has yet to return to the cockpit of an Indy car.