Sometimes, a driver makes the best of a difficult situation.

That was David Malukas last year. He was still nursing the left wrist he injured in a mountain bike accident, and he was a month removed from losing his ride with Arrow McLaren. The 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge was there to either escape or embrace, and Malukas chose the latter.

As he saw it, it was a chance to see what those outside the cockpit enjoy.

“(It) was a lot of fun to experience it from the sidelines,” he said.

Malukas didn’t just sit idly. He had picked up work as a social media influencer and maintained his pursuit of a ride in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, which a month after Indy produced an offer from Meyer Shank Racing to compete in the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

Chicago native Malukas ended up competing in the final 10 races of the season for MSR, qualifying in the top three on three occasions and finishing as high as sixth (in Toronto). The result of all that led AJ Foyt Racing to hire him for this season, and Malukas heads into Sunday’s Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge with the seventh starting position.

But back to last year’s race.

Malukas was among the throng of people spending pre-race festivities on the front straightaway. But that’s not where he wanted to consume the on-track action that he knew from competing in 2022 and 2023. He had been given a ticket to one of the best seats in Turn 1, and he wasn’t going to let the opportunity pass. He’s glad he did.

“I was (enjoying) the national anthem and everything, and then I’m like, ‘We’ve got to go (to the seats)!’” he said. “I remember full sprinting all the way to Turn 1, and we just made it to see the start of the race.”

Pole sitter Scott McLaughlin held off Will Power and Josef Newgarden as the all-Team Penske front row charged into the first turn with a swarm of machinery in tow. Malukas said it nearly took his breath away.

“Insane,” he said, smiling. “So cool.”

His next thought surprised him.

“I was like, ‘Man, how do you guys do that?’ and then I realized, ‘Oh, wait, I actually do.’”

Obviously, Malukas found himself longing to be part of the fun taking place in his view, but there was a lesson he took from watching: Enjoy the opportunity.

Sunday’s race will be Malukas’ third chance to win “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. At 23 years old, he should have plenty more opportunities at the Racing Capital of the World, but last year convinced him he shouldn’t take them for granted. He also has learned that those outside the car know more about the race as a whole than the drivers do, which is why he will trust his strategist more than he ever has before.

“From a strategy point, you don’t know what’s going on because there’s so much,” he said. “(The team) has so much data, and they see way more than what the driver sees. We’re also busy, so we only see what’s in front of us. I’ve learned to keep quiet.”

Malukas qualified the No. 4 Clarience Technologies Chevrolet at 231.599 mph. He realizes now that it looks every bit of that speed from the outside.

“Man, just looking look from an outside perspective, it’s so fast,” he said. “I mean, in the car you kind of get used to it, but watching from the outside it’s so cool, and there’s the energy (in the stands). You never hear it in the car. But everybody screams, and I was just getting goosebumps the entire time.

“They should get a microphone so (the drivers) can hear what it sounds like (in the stands). It’s just so high energy.”

Malukas watched last year’s final few laps from the DEX Imaging Media Center, where emotions are expected to be kept in check. Ultimately, the fan in him gave in.

“I was so excited that I didn’t know what to do,” he said. “I just sprinted outside to the balcony and (thought), ‘Oh, my gosh, (Newgarden) is going to (win again).’”

Come Sunday, Malukas could be in the winning position.

“I can’t imagine what that would be like,” he said. “But I’ve seen it from the other side, and it’s amazing.”