After years of delays and development setbacks, IndyCar has finally revealed the all-new chassis set to contest the 2028 season.
The IR-28, developed with Italian motorsport specialist Dallara, is the first new car to be used by the NTT IndyCar Series since the 2012 season and the introduction of the DW-12.
IndyCar promises the IR-28 will deliver ‘faster lap times and improved raceability’. The car also places a substantial emphasis on maximizing driver safety.
In particular, the IR-28 features a wider cockpit, improved airflow for driver cooling, and better side-impact and collision protection.
This is especially important when, helped by being 100 lb lighter than the current DW-12, the new car is expected to beat current lap times and break track records – even at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Faster, sleeker, and safer for 2028
The IR-28 will use IndyCar’s new 2.4-liter twin-turbocharged V-6 internal combustion engine, capable of producing up to 760 horsepower.
Following the previous multi-year commitment from Chevrolet and Honda, both manufacturers will continue to produce their own IndyCar engines, complete with enhanced low-voltage hybrid technology.
A new Energy Storage System (ESS) will enable hybrid power to be deployed 14 times faster than the supercapacitors in the current IndyCar powertrain setup.
With new engines being so important to the IR-28, the racing cars will feature a transparent cover to show off the V-6 to fans.
Trackside viewers will also be pleased at the return of the digital position display, mounted behind the aeroscreen, to show a car’s running order in every session.
New front and rear wings have been designed to maximize style and downforce, with the entire shape of the IR-28 intended to allow closer racing by minimizing aerodynamic outwash. You may spot more than a hint of ground-effect Formula 1 cars, which raced between 2022 and 2025.
IndyCar to start testing IR-28 this week
IndyCar president J. Douglas Boles said: “We are pleased to unveil renderings of the new NTT IndyCar Series chassis that will take our sport into an exciting new era.
“With initial testing to begin this week, there is still plenty of work to do before 2028, but we are well on our way to showcasing a new era of IndyCar, which will include enhanced wheel-to-wheel competition, track records, standards in raceability and new benchmarks in safety.
“We are confident the IR-28 is the ideal package to move IndyCar forward for our teams, drivers, partners and fans,” added Boles.
Andretti Global IndyCar driver Will Power commented: “I was just as excited to see what was inside the car as I was to see what it looks like on the outside. IndyCar and Dallara have done an incredible job combining updated aerodynamic ideas with all of the safety elements from the current car.
“It has a seamless look and one that’s also modern and aggressive at the same time.”
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