INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A rising young star in IndyCar has lost his ride for the Month of May and beyond.

Arrow McLaren announced Monday morning that it is releasing David Malukas.

The decision completes a whipsaw change of fortunes for the 22-year-old. Late last summer, Malukas made a highly-publicized jump from Dale Coyne’s team to the well-funded Arrow McLaren roster, joining perennial title contenders Pato O’Ward and Alexander Rossi.

Malukas posted on Sept. 8, “Can’t wait to be racing with Arrow McLaren!”

Now he’s out – without ever racing a lap in the team’s signature papaya paint scheme. The move is not about on-track performance but rather an off-track injury.

Arrow McLaren says in its announcement of the split that it is “due to him being unavailable for the entirety of the season to date, with no confirmed return date, as a result of a left wrist injury, which occurred February 11, in a mountain biking incident.”

In the team’s announcement, the driver acknowledges uncertainty about his recovery.

“I’ve done everything possible to speed up the rehab process -treatments, physiotherapy, strength training- but my recovery has taken longer than anticipated,” he said in a release. “Every injury is different, and every body heals at a different pace. I’ll turn my full attention to getting back to 100 percent and then prove that I am ready and able to compete to win.”

Malukas has raced in two Indianapolis 500s, including his 16th-place run as a rookie in 2022, which many in the sport felt should have earned him the Rookie of the Year award. Instead, it went to Jimmie Johnson, who had just crossed from NASCAR. Malukas’ 2023 IndyCar effort included six Top 10 finishes, including a career-best 3rd place at Gateway, shortly before the announcement that he was joining Arrow McLaren.

Instead, without a single corner turned for his new team, Malukas is left promising resilience and expressing appreciation for the team’s initial decision to sign him. “I felt privileged to have had the opportunity to drive for Arrow McLaren and regret that it never materialized.”

Arrow McLaren has used Callum Ilott and Theo Pourchaire to fill in for Malukas so far this season; the team has not yet named a permanent replacement.