IndyCar: The bold '$1 million move' that's paying off in a big way

Meyer Shank Racing needed a shot in the arm after rookie Tom Blomqvist's rough start to the 2024 IndyCar season, and they didn't wait around to pursue it.

David Malukas, who had been released by Arrow McLaren for missing several races due to the wrist injury he suffered in a preseason mountain biking accident, signed with the team to drive the No. 66 Honda starting with the June race at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

Malukas, told by individual after individual that getting behind the wheel of an open-wheel race car would never feel the same in a post-wrist injury era, didn't skip a beat following an impressive two-year run with Dale Coyne Racing and HMD Motorsports to start his IndyCar career.

And it has changed the complexion of Meyer Shank Racing's prospects of the No. 66 team securing a $1 million Leaders' Circle payout.

Blomqvist's poor start to the 2024 season, coupled with two lackluster results from Helio Castroneves before Malukas took over, had the team in position to miss out on a top 22 position in the entrant standings, among Leaders' Circle eligible entries.

Malukas' mid-season arrival has totally changed that.

He has qualified no lower than 14th place in five races and posted an average starting position of 8.8. He recently finished in a season-high sixth on the streets of Toronto.

All of a sudden, the No. 66 team sits in 19th place among the 25 teams eligible to contend for the 22 $1 million Leaders' Circle payouts. With 144 points, the team sits 28 points above the top 22 cutoff.

Thanks to his 82 points in five races, the No. 66 team is now averaging 12 points per race this season. Prior to Malukas' arrival, it had scored just 62 and averaged 8.86. The 23rd place team, the No. 78 Juncos Hollinger Racing entry, is currently sitting at 118 points with a 9.83 average.

There is certainly still work left to do, but given the fact that the teams in this range generally don't score many points, the fact that Malukas has had this level of success has put the No. 66 team in a relatively safe spot moving forward.

The 28-point gap is healthy in itself, but perhaps even more important is the fact that there are now three teams separating the No. 66 team from the cutoff, meaning that it is going to take several solid results from multiple teams to derail the mission of Malukas and Meyer Shank Racing.

The No. 30 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing team is 19 points to the good in 20th place, while the No. 20 Ed Carpenter Racing team and the No. 41 A.J. Foyt Enterprises team sit seven and five points ahead of the cut line in 21st and 22nd, respectively.

And it's not just the prospect of this $1 million payout that is good news for Meyer Shank Racing.

While he has announced that he is set to join A.J. Foyt Enteprises next season rather than stick around at Meyer Shank Racing, Malukas – and, of course, full-time teammate Felix Rosenqvist – have demonstrated that Meyer Shank Racing can indeed be a competitive team and are more than capable of running at the sharp end of the field.

That should inherently make them an attractive landing spot for other free agents seeking new rides (Alexander Rossi?) for next year, especially amid rumors of a potential new technical alliance with the reigning champion and championship-leading Chip Ganassi Racing.

Now Malukas is set to compete at his best track: World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway, where he has recorded career-high finishes of second and third place in two starts. The Bommarito Automotive Group 500 is set to be broadcast live on USA Network this Saturday, August 17 beginning at 6:00 p.m. ET. Start a free trial of FuboTV and don't miss it!