4-11-13 Malukas Chalks up Three More WKA Man Cup Wins at Kershaw

KERSHAW, S.C. - David Malukas won his first-ever WKA Manufacturers Cup main event at Carolina Motorsports Park early Saturday afternoon in Komet Sportsman 1, and the Chicago, Ill., racer added two more wins throughout the remainder of the weekend to score the "hat trick" and become the only three-race winner in the second round of the 2013 national series.

In addition to Malukas's Komet Sportsman 1 score, he wheeled his HMD Trucking No. 79 MRP Birel to feature wins in Saturday's Cadet Sportsman 1 and Sunday's Sportsman weekend capper, Yamaha Sportsman 2.

Malukas had a legitimate shot at wins in all six Sportsman main events, however, a penalty and late-race contact prevented him from capturing a fourth, fifth and potential sixth win and an unprecedented weekend sweep.

"We had a really good weekend," David said. "The kart was perfect all weekend and we had a shot to win all six races. When you can come away with three of six, it means a lot. The competition is very hard and there are many drivers like Zach (Holden), Anthony (Gangi Jr.) Michael (d'Orlando), Brandon (Lemke), Neil (Verhagen) and others who are hard to beat.

"I also want to thank everyone who helped. Jason Birdsell, my dad, Wes, Jason's dad (Mike Birdsell), MRP Birel and HMD Trucking."

With Kershaw in the books, Malukas is making a strong case for the being the hottest Junior Sportsman racer in the country. He opened the 2013 WKA Man Cup season with two dominating feature wins at Daytona KartWeek at the DIS Sprint Track. After an up-and-down Florida Winter Tour campaign, Malukas closed the series with his first-ever Rotax win last month at Ocala Gran Prix. His three wins at Kershaw give him six final victories with over half the season remaining.

"We are running well right now," the humble 11-year-old said. "I hope we can keep it going; I think we can. Jason and Wes are the best in the business and the Birel is really flying! I'm having a great time right now and looking forward to the rest of the year!"

The David Malukas Racing team now has a couple weekends off before heading back to the Carolinas for the opening round of the new United States Pro Kart Series April 26-28 at North Carolina's Mooresville Motorplex. The team wasn't sure if they would attend the event, but after their recent success, as of this week they plan to attend.

The remainder of the year will see Malukas run the entire Route 66 Sprint Series in order to earn the maximum number of WKA Manufacturers Cup bonus points, select WKA Great Lakes Sprint Series, USPKS and Rotax events and of course, the remaining four WKA Man Cup shows.

The team's prime goal is a 2013 WKA Triple Crown championship, and with two Man Cups in the books, David is at or near the top of the standings in each of the four Sportsman Man Cup divisions (Cadet, Yamaha, Komet 1 and Komet 2).