David Malukas laid down an early marker at Phoenix Raceway on Tuesday, topping the timesheets on the opening day of the Unser IndyCar Open Test and signalling his intent in his first official outing as a full-time driver for Team Penske.
The 24-year-old Chicago native wasted little time acclimatising to the 1-mile tri-oval at Phoenix Raceway. Consistently circulating within the top five during four uninterrupted hours of green-flag running, Malukas surged to the summit in the final hour with a best lap of 20.8569 seconds, equating to 172.605mph in the No. 12 Chevrolet.
For much of the afternoon it had been his team-mate, Josef Newgarden, who set the pace. Newgarden became the first driver of the test to dip below the 21-second barrier in the No. 2 Chevrolet, but ultimately fell just 0.0708 seconds shy of Malukas’s benchmark.
Andretti Global drivers locked out third and fourth positions. Will Power, embarking on a new chapter after a long tenure elsewhere in the paddock, produced the only other sub-21-second effort with a 20.9661-second lap (171.706mph). He was narrowly ahead of team-mate Kyle Kirkwood.
Reigning four-time series champion Alex Palou rounded out the top five for Chip Ganassi Racing, recording a best speed of 171.357mph in the No. 10 Honda.
Further down the order, Meyer Shank Racing pair Marcus Armstrong and Felix Rosenqvist were sixth and seventh respectively. Scott McLaughlin, Scott Dixon and Alexander Rossi completed the top ten in a session punctuated by nine cautions—only one of which resulted from an on-track incident.
That incident involved rookie Caio Collet, whose No. 4 Chevrolet brushed the outside wall at Turn 4 before spinning and coming to rest on the inside of Turn 1. His engineer attributed the error to compromised visibility from the low sun, which may have led him to drop a wheel below the yellow line and lose grip on corner exit.
Top Five – Day One
| Position | Driver | Team | Best Lap (s) | Speed (mph) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | David Malukas | Team Penske | 20.8569 | 172.605 |
| 2 | Josef Newgarden | Team Penske | 20.9277 | 171.994* |
| 3 | Will Power | Andretti Global | 20.9661 | 171.706 |
| 4 | Kyle Kirkwood | Andretti Global | — | — |
| 5 | Alex Palou | Chip Ganassi Racing | — | 171.357 |
*Calculated from time gap.
In terms of mileage, only three drivers surpassed 100 laps. Christian Rasmussen logged 114 tours, while rookies Mick Schumacher (107) and Sting Ray Robb (103) also broke the century mark—valuable running on a demanding short oval where consistency and precision are paramount.
With another day of testing to follow, Malukas’s early statement ensures that attention will remain firmly fixed on the Penske garage as preparations continue for the forthcoming IndyCar campaign.
