INDIANAPOLIS — Ever watched a man’s heart shatter right in front of you?David Malukas mustered the strength to drag himself out of the No. 12 Team Penske Chevrolet, then knelt for a moment on the car, unable to continue.He embraced a crew member, helmet still on, and his shoulders began to heave with the signs of a sob. Finally, he took his helmet and headsock off to reveal red eyes, a tear-streaked face, a quivering mouth.That’s what it’s like to come out on the wrong end of the closest finish in the 110-year history of the Indianapolis 500, what it’s like to think you were about to cross the finish line of achieving a lifelong dream — only to see it taken away at the very last fraction of a second.Malukas leaned into his girlfriend’s embrace, then sat on the pit wall and stared across the track. There, video screens replayed the finish and he saw for the first time how close it all was. After Malukas had led for the entirety of the dramatic final lap Sunday, Felix Rosenqvist had edged him to the finish line, passing with just a few feet to go.
FELIX ROSENQVIST WINS THE CLOSEST FINISH IN INDY 500 HISTORY! pic.twitter.com/BBGobsgX3I
— INDYCAR on FOX (@IndyCarOnFOX) May 24, 2026He nodded at one of the local television reporters waiting nearby, then began answering questions.“A lot of anger, a lot of pain,” he said. “I feel like I’m mourning. There’s a lot of shock. I still can’t believe it. To be that close to winning the damn thing …”Malukas turned and found the embrace of another team member, then began crying all over again. He pulled his red No. 12 hat down over his eyes as he wept. It was his second straight year taking second place at the Indy 500, but this one hurt so much more.J. Douglas Boles, president of both the IndyCar Series and the racetrack, suddenly appeared in front of Malukas. He shook his hand and leaned in to share encouraging words, and Malukas seemed to take them to heart.When Boles left, the 24-year-old puffed out his cheeks, tried to gather himself and began walking down pit road toward the media center, passing by the elevated victory circle where Rosenqvist was celebrating above him.Already inside the media center, his teammate Scott McLaughlin, who suffered his own heartbreak at the Indy 500 last year, was speaking about what Malukas had just gone through.A dejected Malukas, after Sunday’s race. (Mykal McEldowney / IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)“I feel for Dave,” McLaughlin said. “He’s a good kid, and been great around here. I know he’s going to be gutted, but he’s young and he’s going to be just fine.”Malukas walked in, and McLaughlin stopped an answer mid-sentence to get up and give him a hug.“Oi,” the Kiwi said.When Malukas sat down, he began to explain what he was feeling.“I’ve never pushed that hard in my whole life, just to finish …” Malukas said, momentarily unable to even say the word. “I can’t believe it.”Malukas began thinking about whether there was a different move he could have made, but those glimpses of the replay when he stared at the screens across the track actually helped him process it.From his view inside the car, Malukas hadn’t realized Rosenqvist had that much speed when he pulled out for the winning pass.“He just had a really good run. There’s nothing else I could have done,” Malukas said. “I’m trying to think back, maybe something different with deployment here or there …“There’s no way, man,” McLaughlin interjected.“There’s no way,” Malukas agreed.How had Malukas even summoned the strength to remove his helmet, show the pain on his face to the world and compose himself enough to get through interviews?“It’s just because I really started to beat myself up in that car, so I told myself I need to get out of here before I just keep on overthinking and making things so much worse,” he said. “It was a good decision to get out and just see everybody and let the emotions out, because in the car it was … not good thoughts.”McLaughlin said the pain from losing the 500 was unique because competitors looked forward to this day all year long, but only one person was actually happy at the end of it.“It’s Christmas, but not everyone gets a present,” he said.By the end of the news conference, Malukas was pulling himself together. He was talking about coming back in 365 days from now. Talking about how next time, he’d go even harder.Those are some of the lessons learned from his last couple years. After all, this is a driver who signed a sweet deal for a ride at Arrow McLaren, only to get fired because he missed too many races after injuring his wrist in a 2024 offseason mountain biking accident.He didn’t even get to race in the Indy 500 that year, instead covering the race for IndyCar’s social media channels.Now he’s in the best ride of his career after replacing veteran Will Power at Team Penske, and is up to second in the point standings after Sunday.“Having all these hardships builds character, and for me it just gives me more drive, gives me more motivation, more obsession to go out there and have my dreams come true,” he said. “We’re getting so close. I will not be able to die at rest until we can go get a win.”
