IndyCar: New favorite emerging as Alex Palou replacement?

With Alex Palou’s future at Chip Ganassi Racing in doubt for the 2023 IndyCar season, is a new favorite emerging as his potential replacement?

Reigning IndyCar champion Alex Palou’s status for the 2023 season remains unclear, but after both Chip Ganassi Racing and McLaren announced in July that they had signed him for next year, it is clear that he intends to leave Chip Ganassi Racing and race for McLaren.

Palou responded to Chip Ganassi Racing’s press release stating that he did not authorize it, and while the specific series wasn’t confirmed, he announced that he was happy to be joining the McLaren family next year.

While things are far from settled, especially after a somewhat concerning development on the McLaren side, there is still a good chance that somebody new will be behind the wheel of the #10 Honda next year.

And a new favorite to replace Palou seems to have emerged.

Rookie David Malukas had been reported to have a long-term deal in place with Dale Coyne Racing with HMD Motorsports, as HMD Trucking is owned by his father Henry. In fact, the team insisted this past weekend that this deal remains in place for 2023.

However, the 20-year-old Lithuanian-American has also recently admitted that things might not be as clear as they once seemed.

One day before earning a career-best runner-up finish in the race at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway, Malukas, who now finds himself just five points behind Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s Christian Lundgaard in the Rookie of the Year battle, said that he would be happy to spend another year behind the wheel of the #18 Honda.

Given the comments from the team, that still looks like the most likely option. But Malukas added that there are “different options” and that those options are currently “hush hush”, according to IndyStar.

All in all, Malukas departing Dale Coyne Racing after just one season could make sense. HMD Motorsports currently field an Indy Lights entry for Linus Lundqvist, who is close to securing the 2022 championship and thus securing the funding for at least three IndyCar races, including the Indy 500, next year.

HMD Motorsports are keen to see Lundqvist in a full-time IndyCar role, but unless another Honda team reduces car count or Takuma Sato decides to retire, there wouldn’t be enough engines for Dale Coyne Racing to expand from two to three cars.

So loaning Malukas out to Chip Ganassi Racing to fill a presumably vacant #10 Honda could benefit all parties involved.

Malukas would have the chance to compete for a championship-caliber team, his father would get the chance to watch him do so, all while promoting his top Indy Lights driver to the sport’s top level, Lundqvist would get a full-time IndyCar ride despite the fact that there are currently limited options available, and Chip Ganassi Racing would have a perfectly viable replacement for Palou.

Given the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the legal situation at Chip Ganassi Racing, it also makes sense that, as of now, nothing more than the fact that Malukas has a deal with his current team is being publicized.

Eventually, those things will get sorted out, and Malukas may very well stay put as advertised. But the “never say never” element has been at an all-time high already this silly season, and that might well continue too.

And we all know what happened the last time Chip Ganassi Racing signed a Dale Coyne Racing rookie; he emerged seemingly out of nowhere and won the 2021 title.

Malukas could, of course, still win this year’s Rookie of the Year title, but it’s worth noting that Palou also ironically finished that battle in second place in 2020.

Of course, some have suggested that Chip Ganassi Racing should go with a short-term replacement for Palou, such as a veteran in Sebastien Bourdais, Ryan Hunter-Reay, or Tony Kanaan, before attempting to sign a young driver such as Colton Herta, whose Andretti Autosport contract expires after the 2023 season, for 2024.

But amid Herta’s — and interestingly Michael Andretti’s — recent links to the AlphaTauri Formula 1 team, which could see him leave IndyCar as early next year, perhaps the 22-year-old Californian won’t be available, and Chip Ganassi Racing may be smart to secure the services of a young driver sooner rather than later.

If Malukas is indeed already out of the mix, however, who else might be under consideration, provided the legal process doesn’t result in Palou making a surprise return?