THE WHITE HOUSE — David Malukas knew he had to obey instructions Monday when driving an INDYCAR show car for a pit stop.
The rules on burnouts were strict. And there was no deviating.
When you’re doing a pit stop by The White House and with both the President of the United States and your team owner in attendance standing just a few feet away, you behave.
“Entering the box, I had to be very slow, no burnouts,” Malukas told me Monday, a few hours after the White House visit. “But once the car dropped and I left, I could burnout and do whatever I wanted.
“But coming in, I had to be very safe. I couldn’t cause any moments because obviously there are a lot of serious people in the vicinity.”
Malukas, who drives the No. 12 car, admitted that having team owner Roger Penske there at The White House in addition to President Donald Trump made it a little nerve-wracking — possibly more so with Penske there.
“The boss is always looking,” he said with a laugh.
Malukas, along with four-time INDYCAR champion Alex Palou and 2026 Indianapolis 500 winner Felix Rosenqvist, visited The White House for an event to promote the INDYCAR Freedom 250 Grand Prix, a race on the streets of Washington, D.C. next month (Aug. 23 on FOX). The permitting and improvements to the roads and the ability to use The National Mall for fans — with free general admission tickets being distributed by a lottery for those who signed up — required an executive order from President Trump to have the race this year as part of the celebration of the country’s 250th birthday.
The drivers got a tour of The White House after the 20-minute event, which also was attended by FOX Sports CEO Eric Shanks. FOX telecasts all INDYCAR Series events and is a minority owner in INDYCAR.
“The Oval Office was cool because I’ve seen it in so many movies — probably not the real one, but I’ve seen it,” Rosenqvist told me. “The whole thing, it’s kind of hard to grasp.”
INDYCAR gave Palou a helmet to present to President Trump.
“We got to talk a little bit, more about how excited he was to see the cars and the INDYCAR race around D.C., seeing how fast we can go around the streets without getting in trouble,” Palou told me.
Roger Penske (R) and INDYCAR champion Alex Palou (L) present President Donald Trump with a custom race helmet. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Trump mentioned the speeds in his 10-minute speech.
“It’s going to be a sight for the ages,” Trump told the crowd. “It really will be something special, and they’re going to go all around the National Mall at speeds that are — if we did that during the regular day, I think people would be put in jail, perhaps for the rest of their lives.”
Roger Penske, whose Penske Corporation operates INDYCAR and Indianapolis Motor Speedway, obviously is looking forward to the race.
“It’s an opportunity to showcase the technology, the speed, the partnerships and the athletes that make such a difference,” Penske said.
The race will have the Capitol as the backdrop for the start-finish line and the Washington Monument as the backdrop on the opposite side of the seven-turn, 1.7-mile course.
The event for sure will produce incredible images — think of it as a race made for Instagram — and the drivers await the challenge. Rosenqvist said he didn’t get an opportunity to walk the track during his visit.
INDYCAR visited The White House ahead of the upcoming Freedom 250 Grand Prix. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
“It’s going to be a fantastic race for INDYCAR,” Malukas told me. “The more showings, the more viewings we can get to bring more fans in. … INDYCAR is very special and it’s just trying to get the word out there.
“No matter what type of race it can be, if it can be an influencer, an Instagram race, then fantastic. We want to get the eyes out there.”
Malukas left Washington with a smile on his face.
“I can officially say I did a burnout at The White House,” Malukas said. “Cool.”
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