David Malukas perhaps suffered the biggest heartbreak of his racing career at the 2026 Indy 500 on Sunday. After getting out of his car, the Team Penske driver was visibly devastated and let the tears flow after the near-miss.

In a dramatic final lap, which started with the 24-year-old driver passing Felix Rosenqvist for the lead, he looked set for his first Indy 500 triumph in his first attempt at the race with Team Penske. Unfortunately, Rosenqvist passed him just before the finish line and won by 0.0233 seconds, marking the race's closest finish.

During his appearance at the Indy 500 Victory Celebration, FOX Sports' Bob Pockrass questioned David Malukas about whether he was okay crying and showing his unfiltered emotions. 

"I am," he said. "For me, it is crazy not to show that. I just care so much. This is my live-or-die right here. And let's just say, when you say you die, you rest in peace. I won't rest in peace until I get an Indy 500 win."

Malukas started the race in third and remained in the leading pack throughout the race. On a lap 196 restart, Mick Schumacher clipped the wall, and IndyCar threw out a yellow flag, which led to the final one-lap shootout.

However, this was not the first time that the No. 12 Team Penske driver experienced a near miss at the Brickyard. While he raced for AJ Foyt Racing last year, he crossed the finish line in third. However, after the race, he was promoted to second when Marcus Ericsson was disqualified after post-race technical inspections.

David Malukas advanced to second place in the championship standings and has a 37-point deficit to Alex Palou in first.

David Malukas "driven and motivated" to avenge Indy 500 near-miss 

While talking at the Indy 500 Victory celebration, Malukas reflected on his IndyCar journey leading up to his first Indy 500 with Team Penske. He also spoke about how this setback has further fueled his motivation to win races.

"For me, it was everything leading up to this moment," said Malukas. "My dream is to be an Indy 500 winner, to win championships, to be remembered in history. I'm so driven and so motivated to go and get that win, not just an Indy 500 win, but just in IndyCar."

David Malukas has 68 career starts in IndyCar but has yet to claim a win. So far this season, he has had six top 10s and four top 5s. It will be interesting to see how Malukas performs at the upcoming street race in Detroit, a track that hasn't been a happy hunting ground for him.

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Written by

Chionia Libania Colaco

Edited by

Yask Kotak