After 17 years of Will Power driving Penske’s #12 IndyCar, the team has revealed who will replace the Andretti-bound driver.
David Malukas will race for Team Penske for the 2026 season, “and beyond”.
Malukas finished second to Kyle Kirkwood in the 2021 Indy Lights championship before spending the next two seasons at Dale Coyne where he bagged two podiums.
In 2024 he joined McLaren, but a pre-season wrist injury meant he was released and never made a start for that team, instead joining Meyer Shank Racing where he impressed in the second half of 2024.
That earned him a move to AJ Foyt Racing for 2025, a team affiliated to Penske, and it was rumoured Malukas had signed a Penske contract as part of his deal to drive for Foyt.
Rumours about him replacing Power persisted throughout the season - and in the end Power gave Penske an easy decision by himself deciding to leave, just when Penske considered keeping him on for at least another season.
Now Malukas joins Penske alongside Scott McLaughlin and Josef Newgarden, the latter of which he beat to 11th in the championship this year, although that says as much of Newgarden's ill-fortune as for anything else.
It’s a departure from Penske’s usual process of recruiting drivers who have proven themselves at a higher level for longer than Malukas has, but it has clearly seen enough potential to warrant giving him the seat.
“Racing for Team Penske is the goal for every young racecar driver, and I am honored to be one that gets to live out that dream,” said Malukas.
“Will Power is one of the legends of our sport and the #12 Verizon Chevrolet is one of the most-recognised cars on the grid. These are big shoes to fill, but I look at it as an opportunity because I know that it is one of the best teams in the paddock.”
Team owner Roger Penske added: “We are excited to add David Malukas as the next driver of the #12 Verizon Chevrolet,” said team owner Roger Penske.
“We feel that Team Penske will provide David everything needed to take the next step in his career, and we are confident that he will continue the great legacy of the Verizon Chevrolet.”
