I will love you forever: David Malukas pays a warm and mournful tribute to his grandmother on IG
In the high-octane world of IndyCar racing, where split-second decisions and roaring engines dominate the narrative, moments of profound personal vulnerability are rare. Yet, on October 5, 2025, David Malukas, the rising star of Team Penske’s No. 12 entry, pulled back the curtain on his softer side with a deeply moving Instagram post dedicated to his late grandmother. The 23-year-old Lithuanian-American driver, known for his fearless overtakes and podium finishes, shared a carousel of cherished family photos accompanied by the simple, heart-wrenching caption: “I will love you forever.” The post, which has since garnered over 150,000 likes and thousands of supportive comments, has struck a chord far beyond the racing paddock, reminding fans that even the boldest competitors carry quiet sorrows.
Malukas’s tribute arrived just weeks after his grandmother, Elena Malukiene, passed away peacefully at the age of 87 in her hometown of Kaunas, Lithuania. Sources close to the family confirmed that Elena, a resilient survivor of World War II hardships and a pillar of quiet strength for her immigrant kin, succumbed to complications from a long battle with pneumonia. She had emigrated to the United States in the 1990s, following her son—Malukas’s father—and becoming the heartbeat of the family’s Chicago-based household. For David, who was born in Chicago in 2002, Elena was more than a grandparent; she was the weaver of his earliest memories, the one who taught him the value of perseverance through bedtime stories of her own life’s trials.
The Instagram post opens with a faded Polaroid of a young David, no older than five, perched on Elena’s lap in their modest backyard. She’s beaming, her silver hair tied in a loose bun, while he clutches a toy race car, his eyes wide with innocent wonder. Subsequent slides reveal more layers: a grainy video clip of Elena cheering at David’s first go-kart race in 2010, her voice cracking with pride over the din of engines; a snapshot from his high school graduation in 2020, where she pins a traditional Lithuanian cross necklace around his neck for good luck; and a poignant final image of the two during a video call earlier this year, Elena frail but smiling from her hospital bed, David mid-laugh as he recounts his latest test session at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
“I will love you forever,” Malukas wrote, eschewing his usual posts of trackside triumphs or sponsor shoutouts for raw emotion. “You were the light that guided me through every storm—the one who believed in me when I was just a kid dreaming of speed. Your stories of strength, your hugs that felt like home, your quiet prayers before every race… they carry me still. Rest easy, senelė [Lithuanian for grandmother]. Until we meet again on that endless straightaway.” The word “senelė” adds a cultural intimacy, evoking the deep-rooted Lithuanian heritage that Malukas has often credited for his grounded demeanor amid the glamour of motorsport.
The response from the racing community has been overwhelmingly tender. Josef Newgarden, Malukas’s Team Penske teammate and the 2023 Indy 500 winner, commented first: “Family first, always. Thinking of you, brother. She’s watching from the best seat in the house.” Scott Dixon, the veteran Chip Ganassi Racing icon, added a simple heart emoji alongside a message of solidarity, while IndyCar series president Mark Miles issued a statement praising Malukas’s courage in sharing such personal grief. Fans, too, flooded the thread with their own stories—tales of lost grandparents who shaped their lives, or messages of how Elena’s spirit now fuels David’s drive toward the 2026 championship.
This isn’t the first time Malukas has woven family into his public persona, but it’s undoubtedly the most exposed. His journey to IndyCar stardom is itself a testament to familial sacrifice. At 15, he left home for Europe to hone his skills in Formula 4, returning only for holidays where Elena’s homemade cepelinai—potato dumplings stuffed with meat—awaited as a taste of normalcy. “She never complained about the distance,” Malukas told reporters after his emotional podium at the 2024 Detroit Grand Prix. “She’d say, ‘Go fast, but come home safe.'” That philosophy echoed in his 2025 season so far: a string of top-five finishes, including a daring pass for second at Mid-Ohio in July, all while navigating the pressures of a Penske seat once held by legends like Will Power.
Grief, however, has a way of reshaping priorities, and Malukas’s post hints at a racer reflecting on legacy beyond lap times. In the wake of Elena’s death, he skipped a promotional event in Toronto to fly to Lithuania for the funeral, a modest affair blending Catholic rites with pagan folk songs—traditions Elena held dear. Back stateside, he’s channeled his sorrow into subtle acts of remembrance: a small Lithuanian flag decal on his helmet for the upcoming Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at Gateway, and plans to establish a youth racing scholarship in her name through the David Malukas Foundation, which supports underprivileged kids in motorsports.
Experts in sports psychology note that such public mourning can be cathartic for athletes like Malukas, who operate in a culture that prizes invincibility. Dr. Lena Vasquez, a consultant for several IndyCar teams, explains, “Vulnerability isn’t weakness; it’s fuel. By honoring his grandmother this way, David isn’t just grieving—he’s immortalizing her influence on his resilience. Fans connect because they see the human behind the helmet.” Indeed, the post’s virality underscores a broader cultural moment: in an era of filtered perfection on social media, authentic loss stories cut through the noise, fostering empathy in unexpected places.
As the autumn sun sets on the 2025 IndyCar season, Malukas prepares for the Harvest GP doubleheader at Indianapolis, his mind undoubtedly split between strategy sessions and silent tributes. Elena’s absence leaves a void, but her legacy revs like an untamed engine in his heart. “I will love you forever,” he promised, and in the roar of the crowd, one can almost hear her reply: Drive on, my boy. The track stretches eternally ahead.
