David Malukas has "surreal" full-circle IndyCar moment with Scott Dixon: "I was starstruck the first year"

David Malukas recently divulged how he has had an emotional full-circle moment in his IndyCar career. The AJ Foyt Racing driver revealed that, as a child, he used to pretend to race IndyCar legend Scott Dixon around his house on his scooter when his parents were out.

Over a decade down the line, Malukas made his IndyCar debut with Dale Coyne Racing in 2022. In an interview with Temple of Vroom on YouTube, he described how he felt when driving alongside Dixon during a practice session before the 2022 season opener at St. Petersburg.

While answering whether he can still watch IndyCar as a fan and not a stakeholder within it, David Malukas explained how it's stressful to rewatch races. However, he added [9:53 onwards]:

"Before that, I was a little kid watching it and getting like the scooter, bring it inside the house when my parents left and pretending I'm racing inside my house, it was Scott Dixon."

When asked if the six-time IndyCar champion was his favorite growing up and whether he felf 'starstruck' the first time they met, Malukas replied:

"From IndyCar, yes. I was (starstruck) the first year (I met him), not gonna lie. When he just came, he was like 'Hey, what's up?' I was just like, '.... (awkward)'."

"The coolest part was going side by side with him in St. Pete in practice 1. We were still like... it was the second lap, we're going slow, but still it was so surreal. As a kid, in my house on my scooter pretending I was side by side with him going around the dining table, and now I'm actually side-by-side with him on St. Pete. It was really like I can't believe this is happening," he added.

In his second year in IndyCar in 2023, David Malukas got to share a podium with his idol. Dixon won the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 that year, and Malukas, who raced for Dale Coyne Racing then, finished P3. Notably, it was on the same track where the American youngster earned his first podium in 2022.

Watching Scott Dixon racing at the Indy 500 in person sparked David Malukas's interest in IndyCar

The 92nd Indianapolis 500 - Source: Getty

Earlier this year, David Malukas revealed that he had two racing idols growing up - Seven-time F1 champion Michael Schumacher and IndyCar's Scott Dixon. He watched all of the latter's races, and it was an in-person visit to the fabled Indy 500 that made him lean towards a future in IndyCar.

In an interview with FrontStretch published on April 17, 2025, Malukas said [2:12 onwards]:

"As a kid, I said, well, my favorite F1 driver at the time was Michael Schumacher, and then growing up in IndyCar was Scott Dixon, and ended up watching through all his races, and specifically the Indy 500. Going there as a kid and seeing it in person was kind of what hooked me, and I said, you know, I wanna do this."

With AJ Foyt Racing in 2025, David Malukas is having a career-best season so far. He finished runner-up to Alex Palou at the 109th Indy 500 in May and is 12th in the championship standings after nine races.

Meanwhile, Scott Dixon is having a volatile season compared to Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Palou, who is outright dominating the series and leads the championship by 93 points. Dixon is fifth in the standings and has recorded only one podium at the season-opening Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.