AJ Foyt Racing heads to the Mid-Ohio Sportscar Course this weekend for the Honda Indy 200, round ten of the 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season, with plenty of momentum. The team is extremely close to claiming their first victory in a long time, and it’s a matter of not if they win, but when they will win this season.
Santino Ferrucci in the No.14 Sexton Properties Chevrolet has four top-five finishes this season, including a podium at the Detroit Grand Prix, where he finished second, leading eight laps. Ferrucci is currently ninth in the championship.
David Malukas, who joined the team at the start of 2025, has had a fantastic season to date. Not only did he score a second-place finish at the Greatest Spectacle in Racing, the Indianapolis 500, but he also started the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix from the front row.
Looking ahead to Mid-Ohio this weekend, David Malukas, No. 4 A.J. Foyt Racing Chevrolet was asked:
You are on a roll with strong qualifying runs and a great recovery at Road America. Do you think that marks a turning point for you and the team?
“I feel like we’ve had a turning point since the month of May. Having the entire month together with the team helped build our relationships with each other and the car. We’ve been having some good speed building with each race and we are excited to see what comes next.”
You have finished ninth, sixth and 12th in three starts at Mid-Ohio. What do you like about the Mid-Ohio track?
“Mid-Ohio is one of my favorite tracks to drive around. If I were to pick a track to just do laps on, Mid-Ohio would be up there. I’ve managed to understand the track well and get a good rhythm of speed.”
What do you find challenging at that track?
“Mid-Ohio is all the about the flow from turns 4 to 9. One mistake throughout those corners, and you’ll be off line throughout the rest losing lots of time. It’s a track where being consistent is very important.”
You have five races in four weeks. Is it tougher on the driver or the crew and why?
“Definitely tougher on the crew. We get to have a few days between each race to rest and recover while the crew needs to transport the car to and from and rebuild the car for the next race. Their jobs never stop and deserve lots of praise for what they do.”
Santino Ferrucci, No. 14 A.J. Foyt Racing/Sexton Properties Chevrolet:
You are on a roll with top five runs in the like the last four races and you’ve moved to third in the Indycar.com Power Rankings. What are your thoughts on that, and what will it take to keep that hot streak going?
“Obviously, very, very proud to be, you know, p3 in the power rankings, and to be finishing the top five this much. And honestly, I think we’ve had really good cars, we’ve done a really good job with engineering and strategy and pit stops. Plus staying clean and having good races. I think if we continue that, we will be able to continue fighting for podiums and wins.”
What do you like about Mid-Ohio?
“Overall , it’s just a very fun track, a very technical track, and I’m very excited to be going back there with last year’s success when we finished 10th and got the Biggest Mover award because we started 21st.”
You have two top 10s in six starts at Mid-Ohio. What do you find challenging about that track?
“It’s challenging because it’s really hard to pass there. So qualifying is important. It’s a rather technical track, but everybody’s run it so much that everybody’s also really good. So being perfect is going to be important.”
Since you, you mentioned that passing is hard, how did you go from 17th to ninth?
“I passed a bunch of people, and we had a good pit strategy. That was what made that race, but we were one of the only people passing. I’d say the best places to pass are probably into the keyhole, which is, I believe, turn two, and then down the back straight into four, which has now been repaved. So, you don’t really know how that’s going to play out.”
You have five races in four weeks. Is it tougher on the driver or the crew? And why?
“Probably tougher on the crew, because they’ve got to be at the track early and stay late working on the car versus the drivers. We get a little bit more downtime on the race weekends, and we get to go home between races. I’ll be staying out between the races this year, so, I’ll be on the same schedule as the crew, which I’m looking forward to. I think that’ll be a lot of fun.”
What are you doing right now (at time of interview on Tuesday)?
“I think I broke a valve on my Corvette, so I’m over doing valve covers and ignition coils. I’m over here working on cars before I leave. What else is new? Hey A.J. would be proud.”