This time, it was real for David Malukas.

Almost four years ago, Malukas snapped photographs of the Team Penske car he was about to test on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. He was an INDY NXT by Firestone driver, participating in what INDYCAR calls “an evaluation day.”

In other words, that opportunity to drive one of Roger Penske’s cars – he called it “a Rolls Royce of INDYCAR” – was temporary. This one was not.

Malukas was recently confirmed as the new driver of Team Penske’s No. 12 Chevrolet, replacing Will Power. The Chicago native said he has watched that “legendary” pairing for years, never imagining he would one day see his name on the car. But there it was Tuesday at World Wide Technology Raceway, where Malukas and Andretti Global’s Kyle Kirkwood and their teams participated in a Firestone test.

“It’s incredible, man,” Malukas said of climbing into the car for the first time as the team’s new hire. “I’m trying to keep my composure, but it’s very difficult to do. I was like, ‘One second, can I grab a quick photo?’

“It was the little kid coming out of me.”

Malukas, who is 10 days removed from his 24th birthday, thought back to preparations made for that 2021 test with Team Penske. He remembered standing in the team’s North Carolina shop during a seat fitting, trying to imagine what it would be like to be a full-time Team Penske driver. That would be a dream moment, he conceded.

Malukas made his NTT INDYCAR SERIES debut a few months later for Dale Coyne Racing w/ HMD Motorsports, and he spent two years with that team and scored a pair of top-three finishes. Those strong seasons led Arrow McLaren to offer him a seat for 2024, and he thought that was his golden opportunity in the sport. A broken wrist in a mountain bike accident ahead of the first race foiled that, and their contract was later dissolved.

Once Malukas’ wrist was strong enough to drive, an opportunity came with Meyer Shank Racing for the final 10 races of the 2024 season, and Malukas again performed well. He qualified in the third position for three races (at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, World Wide Technology Raceway and Milwaukee Mile) and finished sixth in the race in Toronto. Late last year, he was confirmed to join AJ Foyt Racing for 2025 as part of a technical alliance with Team Penske.

Malukas hasn’t said when he was assured of joining the sport’s winningest team for the 2026 season, but it was publicly confirmed Sept. 18. He said the excitement won’t soon wear off because, as he noted, it was just 17 months ago that his surgically repaired wrist forced him to watch Newgarden win his second consecutive Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge as a social media contributor employed by INDYCAR.

Tuesday, Malukas used words like “extraordinary” and “incredible” to describe his wild career journey of the past few months.

“I don’t even know what to tell you at this point,” he said. “Everything happens for a reason, and now I’m in my dream car.”

Malukas’ first race with Team Penske will be the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on Sunday, March 1, and he knows he has much work to do. Power won 42 races, including the 2018 Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge, and two season championships driving the No. 12 car, and the expectations for a driver following him will be immense.

Malukas has not yet won a race or a pole in 61 series starts, but he famously battled new Team Penske teammates Newgarden and Scott McLaughlin at World Wide Technology Raceway as a series rookie in 2022. This year, Malukas finished second to Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou at Indy, pushing his career total of top-five finishes to five.

It’s worth noting Malukas is starting at an experience deficit to Newgarden and McLaughlin, who have 39 series wins between them. Additionally, the 2026 field will again be deep, with Palou aiming for a fourth consecutive season title and fifth in six years.

Malukas figures all of that can wait for another day. For now, he has a Team Penske car with his name on it, and the next order of business is to find a Charlotte-area place to live so he can regularly be at Team Penske’s shop in Mooresville.

“I still can’t even believe it,” Malukas said. “Back at the start of ’24, which was just last year, driving a Penske car wasn’t even a random thought for me. Now I’m here.”