Following a high-drama finish at The Milwaukee Mile that saw a potential victory slip away on the final restart, Chevrolet has formally addressed the mechanical glitch that triggered heat-of-the-moment frustration from Team Penske’s David Malukas.
Malukas appeared poised for a breakthrough win during Race 1 before a mechanical hiccup on the late-game restart with 19 laps to go left him vulnerable. Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward capitalized on the sudden hesitation to sweep past for the lead and to the victory, leaving a devastated Malukas to settle for second place for the fourth time this season – and sixth of his IndyCar Series career.
Visibly frustrated in the immediate aftermath, the 24-year-old let his raw emotions show, telling IndyCar Radio, “Chevy just, they let us down. I mean, plenum events [overboost], every time I leave pit lane, I gotta be lifting, first gear, second gear. It’s ridiculous. And I mean, the team did such a good job. That car was unreal. I mean, it was already so good in Race 1 (2), and then they worked on it and got it to where it needed to be for this race. We were so fast, faster than the rest. And yeah, just got let down on that restart.”
However, as tempers cooled on Monday morning, Malukas took to social media to walk back his sharp criticism and offer a public apology.
“Welp, not proud with what I said yesterday,” said Malukas. “It was childish and speaking out of frustration. Chevy has done great things for me this year and I wouldn’t be getting the results I have been without them. I apologize for what was said, immature from me.”
Stepping in to clear the air, Chevrolet provided a statement to Motorsport.com on Tuesday afternoon to clarify the exact nature of the mechanical failure while extending an understanding hand toward their driver’s post-race reaction. “David Malukas experienced an engine sensor issue that led to a plenum event during an upshift on the final restart near the conclusion of Sunday’s race at Milwaukee Mile,” the statement read.
“Chevrolet’s twin-turbo 2.2L V6 operates on a razor’s edge to give our drivers the best opportunity to win, and the top-seven and top-four finishes in the weekend’s two races reflect how hard our teams are pushing. We certainly understand David’s frustration at not securing the win he was pursuing. Racing is a constant balance between maximizing performance and reducing risk. We will apply the learnings from this past weekend to the season finale at Laguna Seca.”
