David Malukas has discussed the importance of practice before this weekend's IndyCar doubleheader at Iowa.

Malukas, who currently resides second in the rookie of the year standings behind Denmark's Christian Lundgaard, has hit a purple patch as of late, with the Illinois native securing his first top 10 finish in the series with ninth in Mid-Ohio. He then added to this with an appearance in the fast six at Toronto, only for a poorly timed pace car to drop him out of the top 10.

Coming into the series's only doubleheader at Iowa, Malukas discussed in a pre-race press conference which Motorlat attended the importance of practice at the short track oval but admitted that his team are coming into the weekend on the back foot after suffering engine troubles at a recent test held at the circuit.

"Any sort of time I can get in practice is super helpful. Even at the test, we ended up having some engine issues, so we couldn't do almost the entire afternoon at the test, so we already lost some time there. But it's going to be trying to get as much information as possible and working with Takuma's crew, as well, to try to get some information from him while we're on track and practice."

"It's been helpful, especially with these new changes on the street courses and road courses that they've changed with these 75-minute sessions, all the veterans, they don't get this extra set, so they kind of just have to sit and watch me just learn the track, which I've really been enjoying. I think it's one practice, (so) definitely going to be using all the time I can get there."

Malukas also discussed his progression as a driver since graduating from Indy Lights at the end of the last year and how he still has a lot to learn going into his second year of IndyCar racing, particularly when it comes to fuel saving and defending.

"Yeah, I think it shows. We started off the season with a bang and then, from there, just made a lot of rookie mistakes. But I'd say since kind of the month of May started, I've finally figured out what I want from the car and building the chemistry with the team, and the team knows what I want, and I know what they need, and together we've kind of been building this momentum, and from race after race, it seems that we're getting the hang of it, and yeah, every time it just keeps getting better."

"There's just so much to (learn) pit stops, and yes, they're better, but there's still a lot to gain and find there, and just any sort of strategy-wise. In Indy Lights, I think it is a very good series to go up the ladder and prepare you for INDYCAR, but the one thing it really doesn't have is having pit stops, having strategies and different fuel mappings, and so much overtaking to figure out how to use it all. I think it's still going to be learning how to do that, and while I'm doing a fuel-saving strategy and the guy behind me isn't, how do I know when to defend and use an overtake to defend going to the next corner, when are they going to make a move. Just little things like that, which is obviously just going to take time."