Paddock Buzz: David Malukas Savoring Challenge of Chasing Alex Palou

David Malukas enters the final six races of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES season facing the toughest assignment in the paddock: trying to stop Alex Palou.

Palou carries an 83-point lead over the Team Penske driver (photo, top) entering the OnlyBulls Grand Prix of Portland on Sunday, while Andretti Global’s Kyle Kirkwood sits 87 points back. No other driver is within 100 points of the four-time series champion, who is closing in on history.

Only Sebastien Bourdais (2004-07) has won four consecutive championships. Palou has won four titles, including the last three, and is on the verge of becoming just the third driver to win five or more, joining A.J. Foyt (seven) and Scott Dixon (six).

That leaves Malukas, who seeks his first series victory in his 74th start, with perhaps his best opportunity to muster a stronger challenge to Palou.

He arrives at the Pacific Northwest road course with momentum, earning four podium finishes in his last seven starts this season, including three runner-up finishes. He also inherited the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet this season, the same team that won the last two Portland races with Will Power, and expects that experience to provide a strong starting point.

“We know we have good data from the past,” Malukas said. “The chances of having a good result are a little bit on our side.”

Palou led Friday’s practice session with a lap of 58.5716 seconds in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Malukas was eighth quickest at 58.9888.

“It’s a really good start for the weekend,” Malukas said. “Still a lot of speed to find, but I know we’ll get there.”

While chasing Palou in the standings, Malukas appreciates the opportunity to compete against one of the sport’s all-time greats.

“He’s being written across history as one of the best INDYCAR SERIES drivers ever,” Malukas said. “I’m learning a lot, and I’m growing myself as a driver.”

Rosenqvist Seeking Another MSR Milestone

Felix Rosenqvist enters Sunday's 110-lap race (4 p.m. ET, FOX, FOX One, FOX Deportes, INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls), seventh in points. That’s one position shy of matching his career-best championship finish, achieved as a rookie in 2019 with Chip Ganassi Racing and again last season with Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian.

Rosenqvist trails Josef Newgarden by 14 points for sixth and Pato O'Ward by 40 for fifth.

Another objective over the final six races of 2026 is delivering Meyer Shank Racing its first victory outside the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. Helio Castroneves earned the team's first win in the 2021 Indy 500, and Rosenqvist added its second this past May.

"I think all of them are pretty high opportunity for me," Rosenqvist said of the remaining races. "I think there's a lot of hunger for a win. Obviously, we got the ‘500’ in May, but I think the team feels we're a little overdue for a win on a normal race weekend. That would be a perfect ending with the last six races here for me with Meyer Shank Racing.”

Rosenqvist returns to Arrow McLaren next season, the team he raced for from 2021-23. He joined MSR in 2024.

Portland could provide that opportunity for victory.

Rosenqvist has qualified well on the 12-turn, 1.964-mile road course throughout his career, averaging a 7.7 starting position in six starts. He has reached the Firestone Fast Six four times here, including a front-row start last season. He also owns a 7.2 average finish, highlighted by runner-up results in 2019 and 2023.

The Swede was 10th quickest Friday in the No. 60 SiriusXM Honda that features a special livery saluting legendary jam band the Grateful Dead this weekend (photo, above).

"I've always qualified pretty well in the INDYCAR SERIES, and Portland is probably one of the tracks where you want to start up front," Rosenqvist said. "It's also been a track I like. Road courses are probably my favorite category, and Portland is one of those tracks.”

Qualifying is at 7 p.m. ET Saturday (FS1, FOX One, INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls).

Kirkwood Chasing First INDYCAR SERIES Road Course Win

Kyle Kirkwood dominated permanent road courses in the junior ranks, winning 32 of his 41 races on them, including five of his six starts at Portland International Raceway. He seeks his first INDYCAR SERIES victory on a permanent road course, going 0-for-31 with a best finish of 10th in four starts at PIR.

He did earn his first INDYCAR SERIES permanent road course podium with a third-place finish on July 5 at Mid-Ohio and backed that up by being second quickest in Friday’s practice session at Portland at 58.6602 in the No. 27 Sam’s Club Honda of Andretti Global.

Kirkwood (photo, above) started 19th and finished 20th in last year’s Portland race.

“I didn't bring a different philosophy, but my engineers did,” Kirkwood said. “We definitely came here with a much different car than we've ever run here. Compared to where we were last year, this is a big step in the right direction, because this is not where we were last year.”

Andretti Global has never won at PIR.

Power, Kirkwood’s teammate, won the last two PIR races with Team Penske and was fourth quickest in the No. 26 TWG AI Honda at 58.9096. Marcus Ericsson, who signed a contract extension Thursday to remain with Andretti Global in 2027, was 12th at 59.0880 in the No. 28 Delaware Life Honda.

VeeKay Carrying Test-Day Gains into Portland

Rinus VeeKay finished fourth July 5 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, the last permanent road course on the NTT INDYCAR SERIES schedule. He and his Juncos Hollinger Racing team also tested at Mid-Ohio ahead of the race weekend.

VeeKay (photo, above) and teammate Sting Ray Robb joined Chip Ganassi Racing’s three-car lineup last week at Portland International Raceway for a test day, giving the team valuable data entering this event.

That preparation paid dividends in Friday’s practice. VeeKay was third in the No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet at 58.7996.

“Just to roll off with a car that has been good a week ago, that helps,” VeeKay said. “It’s just nice to be on the track before you go out there. And from where we were during the test, we could make a plan and kind of work forward.

“It is a lot hotter right now than during a test, so it feels a little bit different. But like I always say, a fast car is a fast car. It’ll go at every temperature.”

Odds and Ends

• Malukas and rookie Caio Collet’s No. 4 Combitrans Chevrolet for AJ Foyt Racing will each serve six-position grid penalties Sunday after their respective teams had unapproved engine changes. Malukas’ No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet underwent two unapproved engine changes during the Nashville Superspeedway race weekend, triggering an additional penalty for the second change. Collet had an unapproved engine change following the Nashville race July 20.

• Louis Foster had a scheduled engine change before the weekend and didn’t exceed the season limit. The No. 45 Desnuda Organic Tequila Honda for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing went behind the wall early Friday with some gremlins but rebounded to fifth overall at 58.9274 by the end of the session.

• Arrow McLaren announced a multiyear partnership with Aurora Innovation, welcoming the self-driving trucking technology company as an official partner. Aurora branding debuted on team apparel this weekend and will expand in 2027 to driver fire suits and the engine cover of the No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet.

• Saturday’s action begins with practice at 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. local time), with air temperatures forecast in the upper 60s. That could make for a significant contrast with qualifying later Saturday, when temperatures are expected to climb approximately 20 degrees.