ELKHART LAKE, Wis. (AP) — David Malukas on Friday was hired by Meyer Shank Racing, giving the young driver a landing spot roughly a a month after Arrow McLaren fired him for missing the first four races of the season with hand and wrist injuries suffered in an offseason mountain bike crash.
Meyer Shank Racing said Malukas will drive the No. 66 Honda starting June 23 at Laguna Seca, California and replace Tom Blomqvist for the remainder of the season. McLaren terminated its contract with Malukas on April 29, immediately after he missed the fourth consecutive race, which was prohibited in his first-year contract with the team.
“It feels amazing just from a mental standpoint,” Malukas said. “With everything that’s happened, getting back in a car is obviously the best thing for me. I think just overall I can actually go out there and show myself again and the performance that I can give.”
Malukas will test with Meyer Shank Racing on Tuesday at the Milwaukee Mile before making his debut with his new team in Monterey at the end of the month. Helio Castroneves will sub for Blomqvist this weekend at Road America in a second consecutive race since Blomqvist was benched.
The 22-year-old Malukas said his hand has healed well enough for him to race again. Malukas was was wearing a compression glove on his left hand Friday.
“We've already been on the Honda simulator and had no issues there," Malukas said.
Blomqvist had been driving the No. 66 earlier this season but was benched after being part of an opening-lap crash that eliminated three cars — all Honda entries — at the start of the Indianapolis 500.
Castroneves drove the No. 66 at the Detroit Grand Prix last Sunday and will again Sunday at Road America.
Meyer Shank Racing thanked Blomqvist, who twice won the Rolex 24 at Daytona and an IMSA sports car championship for the team, and said "the Brit remains a part of the MSR family.” MSR is hoping to be back in IMSA next year after a one-year hiatus and Blomqvist could land back in a sports car.
“This whole process has been extremely difficult on myself and (team co-owner) Jim Meyer,” co-owner Mike Shank said in a statement. “There were so many things for us to consider as we need to do everything we can to make up ground in the championship and Leader Circle standings. We are pleased to have David join us, as he has both experience and potential, and we are looking forward to having him start with us in Milwaukee for the test and then go racing with him at Laguna.”
Malukas, 22, dislocated his wrist and tore tendons while crashing on his mountain bike one month before IndyCar’s season opening race. That happened after Malukas had signed in September with McLaren, which was trying to fill one of its three seats after two-time series champion Alex Palou breached his contract and declined to join the team as planned.
McLaren initially expected Malukas to miss only two races, which Callum Ilott drove in his place. Theo Pourchaire, a 20-year-old from France, has now taken over for Malukas as the driver of McLaren’s No. 6 Chevrolet.
Malukas said he visited a doctor shortly after McLaren's announcement and was told his hand had healed, though he noted that still didn't mean he was ready to race again at that point. Ilott ran the Indianapolis 500 in his place.
“I was healed, but I couldn’t move my hand at all,” Malukas said. “It was all stiff and very weak. There’s still a lot of PT (physical therapy) I had to do. ... I’d say by the end of May was when the hand was ready to go.”
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