The third IndyCar Wrap-Up will look at our first Honda team. Dale Coyne Racing underwent a full driver change for the 2022 season. After housing Romain Grosjean, who was the darling of the 2021 season, and bringing back Ed Jones, Coyne swap one Formula One veteran for another and dropped a rookie into its other seat. Despite the changes, the team had high hopes for this season as it looked to score its first victory since 2018.
David Malukas
After finishing runner-up in the 2021 Indy Lights championship, Malukas moved up to IndyCar as his family's team partnered with the Dale Coyne Racing operation. The Illinois teams united and carried some excitement into this year with expectations of competing for Rookie of the Year. The best didn't happen all at once, but this group grew into the success, and Malukas ended 2022 with higher stock than when he started the season.
What objectively was his best race?
How about a runner-up finish at Gateway? The Dale Coyne Racing team was running an alternate strategy anticipating rain and when the rain came Malukas and teammate Takuma Sato were in top ten positions. After a lengthy delay, Malukas came alive after the restart. drove onto the podium and pressured Josef Newgarden in the closing laps.
What subjectively was his best race?
It is Gateway. Malukas looked good all weekend, but the team's call in the race allowed the Illinois-native to be aggressive in his home race and set him up for that late run to the podium.
It should also be noted Malukas looked good on all the ovals, 11th at Texas, 16th at Indianapolis, the top rookie finisher on the road, and he was 14th and eighth at the Iowa races. He was also 11th at Belle Isle with fastest lap.
What objectively was his worst race?
The first race of the season, and in turn the first race of Malukas' IndyCar career. He got into the marbles in turn four and hit the barrier, knocking him out of his first race after 23 laps and classifying him in 26th.
What subjectively was his worst race?
A possible top five finish was in the cards at Nashville before Malukas and Kyle Kirkwood got together in turn nine. It was an ambitious attempt from Kirkwood, and he did graze the inside barrier, but Malukas was pinching Kirkwood tight into that corner and the officials put Malukas behind Kirkwood as they saw the incident as avoidable contact from Malukas.
Long Beach wasn't good either. Malukas started 18th, had an improper pit exit penalty while already running at the back and was then caught in Jimmie Johnson's accident late in the race in turn eight.
David Malukas' 2022 Statistics
Championship Position: 16th (305 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 1
Top Fives: 1
Top Tens: 3
Laps Led: 8
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 2
Fast Twelves: 6
Average Start: 12.647
Average Finish: 14
Takuma Sato
After four seasons and an Indianapolis 500 victory with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, Sato moved to Coyne, the fifth team in his IndyCar career. Sato gave many reasons for confidence. He was filling a car that had been on the podium multiple times the previous season, and Sato had finished 12th or better in the championship in the previous five years. There was hope of big finishes for the #51 Honda entry, but these were humbler results.
What objectively was his best race?
It was the same race as Sato's teammate, Gateway. Sato qualified eighth and was in the top ten for most of it. He looked like the only driver capable with mixing it with the top seven championship contenders in the first half of the race until Malukas came alive. It was one of the few races Sato spent the entire race in the top ten and he finished fifth.
What subjectively was his best race?
Gateway, but the second Iowa race deserves a mention because he fought for a top ten result in that one. Non-descriptive results defined Sato's season. The second Iowa race was one of the few times we really saw him run competitively for top positions.
What objectively was his worst race?
Sato was 25th in the Indianapolis 500 after deciding to make a stop 43 laps from the finish in a Hail Mary attempt for victory. He fell many laps short of making it on fuel and his final stop came just before the Jimmie Johnson accident in turn two, which meant Sato was trapped a lap down. It didn't help that Sato started tenth and faded over the course of the race.
He was also 25th at Toronto after catching the barrier on the outside of turn two on the opening lap.
What subjectively was his worst race?
When your race is over in two corners, it is difficult to say anything else was worse. Toronto has a good case.
Takuma Sato's 2022 Statistics
Championship Position: 19th (258 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 1
Top Tens: 4
Laps Led: 33
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 1
Fast Twelves: 2
Average Start: 14.706
Average Finish: 16
An Early Look Ahead
Malukas will be back. We are unsure of Sato's status. The team would like to expand to three cars with the likely driver being the 2022 Indy Lights champion Linus Lundqvist, who drove for Henry Malukas' HMD Motorsports, but Honda isn't committing to more than 15 full-time engine programs and that could keep Coyne at two cars for next season. It also doesn't help that Lundqvist received only $500,000 for his Indy Lights championship, down from the $1.2 million prize past Indy Lights champions received, as Penske Entertainment Group took over promotion of the series after Andersen Promotion worked in partnership with IndyCar over the previous few seasons.
Coyne didn't win a race, but there was a lot to be positive about. Malukas grew with each race. There were very few moments he looked like a rookie. He did the smart thing of completing as many laps as he could and scored some impressive results while other rookies weren't as consistent finishing races. He fell short of Rookie of the Year but consider that nine of the 14 Rookies of the Year since reunification were not full-time in IndyCar in 2022 and that award loses some of its luster. Josef Newgarden wasn't Rookie of the Year and neither was Álex Palou. How are those careers going?
The one concern for Malukas is he does feel like another one of these Road to Indy drivers that had good days early in his time in IndyCar but didn't have a great day. Gabby Chaves had good days in IndyCar. Chaves nearly won Pocono as a rookie and he rarely had a retirement in his time in IndyCar, but Chaves is no longer in the series. Carlos Muñoz was stunning on big ovals and regularly had good results, but Muñoz is no longer in the series. Spencer Pigot had good days when he was the road/street course driver for Ed Carpenter Racing, but Pigot is no longer in the series. Everyone was sure Ed Jones was the real deal during his rookie year with Coyne in 2017. Jones wasn't on the grid in 2020 and he wasn't on the grid again in 2022.
There was a lot of hype behind Malukas to move to Chip Ganassi Racing if the #10 Honda entry was open as the Álex Palou-to-McLaren drama played out, but recent history suggests we should pump the brakes on such thoughts and see how the sophomore season goes before crowning Malukas as the next great thing in IndyCar.
Malukas has a wonderful, open personality that the series should promote. I think he can attract a healthy following, but the biggest thing that will determine his exposure is on-track success. Josef Newgarden paid his dues driving for the single-car Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing. He had pulled out encouraging results with little behind him before SFHR and Ed Carpenter Racing merged, which led to race victories, which then became a move to Team Penske.
Newgarden was rumored for a Penske move after the 2012 season, but that move came five years later and instantly resulted in a championship.
Patience is a good thing. I don't think anyone realizes Malukas turns 21 years old today! He spent the entire 2022 season as a 20-year-old. There is a long career ahead of him. He doesn't need to be thrust into a more difficult situation. Malukas is in the right place for his sophomore season, and it will likely be the right place for year three and year four as well. It is good for him, and it is good for Coyne to stay committed to one another for the next few years. That will help both parties out into the future.
Sato is the question mark. The 2022 season wasn't great, but we didn't see Sato revert to the driver of his first six IndyCar season that showed flashes of speed and tore up a lot of carbon fiber. IndyCar is that competitive that a clean but quick Sato is 19th in the championship. It is also a case that the 45-year-old Sato is regressing. His qualifying form has been down notable the last two years. The race results are also taking a dip. He turns 46 years old this January. We are approaching the final IndyCar starts for Takuma Sato. How many are left? I think they are countable at this point.
It could be over. Sato could decide he has had enough and get out before going through one more difficult season where it is a challenge to crack the top fifteen. Or he gives it one more swing on the full schedule and tries to make a little more magic.
A different driver alongside Malukas could be the best choice for the team and take it to a higher level. Other than Lundqvist, there isn't another driver floating out as a possible Coyne entrant in 2023. Sato can positively contribute to this team, but the general expectation is if the changes don't come in 2023 than 2024 will see a tweak with the goal being Dale Coyne Racing matching some of its best seasons ever in IndyCar.
