David Malukas to replace Will Power at Team Penske? AJ Foyt Racing driver addresses ‘awkward’ link

David Malukas has addressed his 'awkward' tie-up with a Team Penske sponsor amid Will Power's rising contract uncertainty. The AJ Foyt Racing driver also quashed longstanding rumors about his replacing the two-time IndyCar champion at Penske in 2026.

Power is in the final year of his contract with the Roger Penske-owned team. In mid-July, the 44-year-old revealed that Penske provisionally stopped contract negotiations and that they would reconvene in August. However, in the media pen ahead of the Grand Prix of Portland, he shared that there was no progress on this front.

Parallelly, speculation about David Malukas replacing Will Power rose because AJ Foyt Racing got Gallagher, one of Team Penske's main sponsors, as the primary sponsor on his No. 4 Chevy for the Portland race weekend. A reporter asked the 23-year-old about this "awkward" link.

"Is it not weird, but with all the rumors and chatter, to have Penske Gallagher colors on your car? Does that make things awkward at all for you?"

Malukas replied:

"No. I mean, it's same old, same old. When it comes to the sponsorship, there's an alliance between Foyt and Penske. Obviously, that transcends through sponsorship, as well."

AJ Foyt Racing has had a technical alliance with Team Penske since mid-2023. However, the sponsorship alliance that Malukas referred to exists only between Penske and his No. 4 AJFR Chevy. His teammate, Santino Ferrucci, has no such links with Team Penske.

As per reporter Marshall Pruett, Malukas is already on a Team Penske contract, with owner Roger Penske choosing to field him in the No. 4 AJFR Chevy. When the 23-year-old was explicitly asked about his IndyCar future and links to Power's seat, he made a clear statement.

"No, from my side it's same old, same old. As of right now, I signed a multi-year deal with Foyt. That's kind of where the trajectory goes right now," Malukas said.

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Will Power is free to negotiate with Team Penske's IndyCar rivals after the 2025 season finale at Nashville

Will Power at the NTT INDYCAR Series Java House Grand Prix of Monterey - Source: Getty

Ahead of the Grand Prix of Portland, Will Power candidly opened up about his contract status. He revealed that Team Penske, which he has driven for nearly two decades in IndyCar, was keeping him in the dark about his contract extension.

"Yeah, I don't think I'll know until after the end of, or during the weekend in Nashville," Power told reporter Bob Pockrass. "I just want to know, to be honest. I would like to know what I'm doing. That would be nice. Sort of the stress will be off me, you know, where am I driving? Am I driving at all?"

In another interview with Fronstretch, the 2018 Indy 500 winner said that the Penske bosses were "busy" and that after the season finale in Nashville on August 31, he was "free to go".

Team Penske seemingly has no reason to let Will Power go other than that he's aging. The No. 12 Chevy driver has been the team's best performer in a volatile season for them. Teammates Scott McLaughlin and Josef Newgarden are faring worse amid the sea of misfortune that Penske finds itself in.