Two years ago, David Malukas relocated from Chicago to Indianapolis to be closer to Arrow McLaren. That opportunity was derailed when a mountain biking injury sidelined him and caused the team to release him, but Malukas remained in Indianapolis, a decision that ultimately positioned him for his current role.

Malukas (photo, top) was hired last September to replace Will Power in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet after spending last season with AJ Foyt Racing, based in Indianapolis. With Team Penske headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, the new job required another relocation, this time farther south.

When Malukas first moved from Chicago to Indianapolis, he joked that the change was especially tough on his father, Henry, who also lived in Illinois and already was planning a spare bedroom in his son’s apartment. Now that Malukas has moved even farther away, the dynamic has only intensified.

“He’ll be a welcome visitor,” Malukas said. “He calls me a lot more than we used to talk because now I’m so far away. It’s probably three times a day.”

Malukas even offered a comical impression of his father, complete with his thick Lithuanian accent.

“He’ll call, and then he’ll text me if I don’t answer because sometimes I know he just wants to talk,” Malukas said. “I’m like, ‘Oh, man, what’s going on?’ I call him back and he’s like: ‘Hey, what’s up, man? What’s it like in Charlotte? Good?

“‘Tell me about Penske. What’s going on?’”

The calls rarely end quickly.

“I’ll say, ‘OK, I’ve got to go now,’ and he’s like, ‘Wait, wait, wait,’” Malukas said. “He just stutters because he wants to stay on the call. He’s more excited than I am. The dude is having a great time.”

That excitement may soon turn into another relocation.

“He really wants to move to Charlotte,” Malukas said. “I think he’s trying to find an excuse through the company, like HMD – ‘Hey, maybe Charlotte, let’s try to go there.”

Why Kirkwood Didn’t Test Free Agency

Kyle Kirkwood enjoyed a breakout 2025 season, finishing a career-best fourth in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship. He entered the year with two career victories in 51 starts but emerged as one of the series’ most consistent contenders, winning three races in 17 starts. Among those victories was his first on an oval, captured June 15 at World Wide Technology Raceway.

The jump marked a significant step forward for Kirkwood, who finished 11th and seventh in the championship in his first two seasons with Andretti Global after placing 24th as a rookie with AJ Foyt Racing in 2022. With his stock clearly rising, many expected Kirkwood to test the free-agent market following the 2026 season.

Instead, he opted for stability. On Nov. 3, Kirkwood signed a contract extension to remain with Andretti Global for the foreseeable future.

“We all have a lot of confidence with each other and this team,” Kirkwood said. “It’s just proving my loyalty to this program as they have for me. It felt like the right thing to do at the right time.”

Kirkwood is the longest-tenured driver at Andretti Global, having won the 2021 INDY NXT by Firestone championship with the organization before returning to the team in 2023 following his INDYCAR rookie season. He is joined by Marcus Ericsson, who arrived in 2024 after stints with Arrow McLaren and Chip Ganassi Racing, and new teammate Will Power, who brings 319 career starts and decades of championship experience.

“I think it all equals out,” Kirkwood said. “We all share responsibility in that sense.”

Palou on Peers’ Mind; Who’s on His?

Alex Palou was on his peers’ minds on Content Day – and rightfully so. The Spaniard has won four NTT INDYCAR SERIES championships, including three consecutively.

Each season, the conversation centers on the same question: Who can stop Palou?

But whose radar is Palou watching?

“Everybody,” Palou said. “You never know. Is it going to be (Will) Power with Andretti? Is it going to be (David) Malukas, (Scott) Dixon, (Kyle) Kirkwood? I think it changes every single year, and you can’t count one person, one driver, or one team out. That’s the beauty of INDYCAR.

“I have everybody in mind, and at the same time, I don’t have anybody. It’s too early. To really have someone in mind, we need to be in the fight ourselves.

“I’m focused on the No. 10 car — getting to the Sebring test as prepared as possible, then heading to St. Pete to see what our speed looks like. Is it the same as last year, or better? Hopefully better.

“That’s honestly where my head is at. Everybody is capable. Nobody expected the No. 10 to win eight races last year. Nobody expected Kirkwood to win three of the first six, either. Without the No. 10 car, Kirkwood would’ve had one of the best starts to a season in recent years. Then he became part of finishing it off.

“You just can’t count anybody out.”

Scott Dixon

Dixon ‘Honored’ To Be Knighted

Call him a six-time champion, a 59-time race winner, husband to Emma and father to Poppy, Tilly and Kit. This offseason, Scott Dixon (photo, above) added another distinction to his résumé: Sir Scott Dixon.

Dixon was knighted by New Zealand as part of the nation’s New Year Honors, a recognition of his extraordinary contributions to motorsport.

“Kind of wild,” Dixon said. “I got an email maybe in November or late October and honestly thought it was spam. I sent it to my wife and said, ‘What is this letter?’ It basically asked if you’d accept the honor if it was put forward, and even then, you don’t know if it’s actually going to happen.

“After that there’s a two- or three-week embargo before the announcement, so you start to get an idea. But not in my wildest dreams, I don’t think I’d ever even thought about something like that.

“Yeah, shocking. But a massive honor.”

The recognition carried special meaning for Dixon because it came from his home country.

“I’ve always loved and been very proud to fly the flag for New Zealand,” he said. “What it gave me growing up and the support I had from fellow Kiwis to race in different countries was huge.

“The recognition for motorsport was really big. There aren’t many people who have been in that situation.”

Odds and Ends

  • Power enjoyed his first Content Day session with his new team Andretti Global on Wednesday. However, old habits die hard as Power admitted he grabbed the Verizon driver suit he wore with Team Penske for more than a decade when he arrived Wednesday morning. “When I walked in, they have all the driver suits hanging up for the day here,” Power said. “The Verizon suit is the first one you see. Same suit I wore last year. Looks exactly the same. It was, ‘Oh, no, that's not me.”
  • Ryan Hunter-Reay explained the significance behind running the No. 31 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet in the 110th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. The number was the first he carried when he joined the series in 2003 with Team Johansson, a season that included a victory in the finale at Surfers Paradise – the final win for the Reynard chassis. “I raced the 31 all through karting, Skip Barber, the Barber Dodge Pro Series and Formula Atlantic,” Hunter-Reay said. “It’s a big part of my racing past. We got to talking about numbers, and that one just kind of hit and resonated. They liked it, and said, ‘Let’s roll with it.’ It’s a good little story.”
  • Sting Ray Robb has been busy off the track, remodeling his Indianapolis-area home and raising 11 chickens. “Having our own little farmstead going on here in Indianapolis has been good,” Robb said. “Getting them not to peck each other – you’ve never heard of the pecking order? I didn’t realize this was a real thing. I thought it was just a fun phrase.”
  • New Zealand natives Marcus Armstrong and Scott McLaughlin have an easy Super Bowl pick: the New England Patriots. Both offered the choice unprompted. “Patriots, baby,” Armstrong said.
  • Ericsson, a former hockey goaltender, offered his prediction for the 2026 Winter Olympics men’s hockey tournament. Never one to bet against his home country, Ericsson picked Sweden for gold, Canada for silver and the United States for bronze.
  • Kyffin Simpson sported the blue-and-yellow Sunoco firesuit, colors that resonate with the 21-year-old because they resemble his native country’s flag. “They’re kind of similar to the Barbados flag, actually,” Simpson said. “I like that part of it.”
  • Santino Ferrucci confirmed AJ Foyt Racing will continue its technical alliance with Team Penske in 2026. The partnership began in 2023 and will enter its fourth consecutive season. “Everything is as it was for the last two years,” Ferrucci said. “Very much looking forward to working with them, sharing information and all sorts of fun things.”