IndyCar unveils new race car for the 2028 season

IndyCar has unveiled the new chassis and powertrain package for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES for 2028. The new car features a modernised design intended to enable faster lap times and improved drivability, with the aim of promoting more wheel-to-wheel action – whilst also creating the safest car to date for ‘The Fastest Racing on Earth’.

The new car, whose IR-28 chassis was developed in collaboration with Dallara, will make its racing debut at the start of the 2028 NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship. The first renderings of the IR-28 were unveiled worldwide this morning in a video (below), narrated by Matt Damon, the Oscar-winning actor and star of the blockbuster film “The Odyssey”.

“We are delighted to unveil the designs for the new NTT INDYCAR SERIES chassis, which will take our sport into an exciting new era,” said INDYCAR President J. Douglas Boles. “As you can imagine, a project of this scale requires an incredible amount of planning, collaboration and execution. I would like to thank all our partners, including Dallara, Chevrolet, Honda, Firestone and Shell, who have worked tirelessly to develop a comprehensive package that will further drive the already incredible competition in INDYCAR and our industry-leading growth. With the first test sessions beginning this week, there is still much to be done between now and 2028, but we are well on the way to ushering in a new era for INDYCAR, characterised by more intense wheel-to-wheel battles, track records, new benchmarks in drivability and new safety standards. We are confident that the IR-28 is the ideal package to take INDYCAR forward for our teams, drivers, partners and fans.”

“We are honoured that INDYCAR has once again chosen Dallara,” said Stefano dePonti, Chief Executive Officer of Dallara USA. “After more than a decade of partnership, their continued trust is the greatest recognition of our team’s efforts. This achievement is a testament to the dedication, expertise and collaboration of the many people who have worked tirelessly to develop a car that meets today’s requirements whilst looking to the future. It also reflects Dallara’s ongoing commitment to investing in innovation and education, and to sharing the knowledge gained from motorsport with the scientific community and beyond.”

Competition and Performance Record

The NTT INDYCAR SERIES is already regarded as an intense and fiercely contested championship, and the new car will further cement this reputation, as it builds on the series’ racing pedigree whilst increasing speeds through additional power to elevate the overall racing spectacle. The IR-28 is designed to beat current lap times and break circuit records, including at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where the most recent circuit records – the single-lap and four-lap qualifying records – were broken in 1996 by two-time Indy 500 winner Arie Luyendyk.

As part of the improvements to its racing performance, the IR-28 will weigh around 100 pounds (approx. 45 kilograms) less than the current car. The more favourable power-to-weight ratio improves race performance, allowing drivers to push even harder and deliver even more exciting races and wheel-to-wheel action.

New car design

The design of the new NTT INDYCAR SERIES race car features a sleek and modern look, whilst retaining the distinctive DNA of the legendary race cars of yesteryear. The entire car has been developed and built from the ground up, resulting in numerous striking differences from the current model.

New front and rear wings, optimised for both style and efficiency, give the car an aggressive look for road and street circuits, whilst the wing configuration for superspeedways delivers maximum downforce with low drag in a sleek, high-speed-optimised package.

For the first time ever, the car’s aerodynamic architecture has been specifically designed to optimise the slipstream from front to rear, in order to improve overtaking opportunities. Further benefits of the 2028 design include reduced outwash and – specifically for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway – a more aerodynamically stable front wing for the speedway.

The IR-28 Aeroscreen, which was integrated into the car’s development from the outset, is lighter, sleeker and more aerodynamic – enhancing safety and race-readiness whilst giving the IR-28 the look and feel of a fighter jet.

Every body panel has been designed to lead to even closer competition on the track, as the new aerodynamics allow the cars to run closer together through corners and across the field.

For the driver, too, the new car features electronically controlled, driver-adjustable stabilisers, which enable improved set-up and race-readiness whilst also making the cockpit less cluttered by eliminating the need for conventional buttons and handles – which in turn enhances driver safety.

Further innovations for the IR-28 include the introduction of the bespoke AXIS inertia control suspension system. The AXIS platform is based on a lightweight, shared damping architecture and expands the range of adjustment options for springs, dampers and inertia elements without increasing costs. Its highly adjustable multi-mode design improves mechanical grip by optimising suspension, reduces reliance on aerodynamic downforce and, at the same time, offers teams considerable flexibility in set-up. The NTT INDYCAR SERIES is the only major motorsport championship to permit inertia systems with a third element at both the front and rear, making the IR-28 one of the most advanced chassis platforms in modern motorsport.

From a fan and commercial perspective, the new car will feature a digital position display showing the car’s position in practice, qualifying and races, as well as a unique transparent window in the engine cover that highlights the branding of Chevrolet, Honda and other manufacturers. Design innovations for 2028 also include more prominent areas for series and team sponsorship.

2028 Powertrain

As previously announced, from 2028 onwards, the new NTT INDYCAR SERIES cars will be powered by 2.4-litre twin-turbocharged V6 internal combustion engines capable of delivering up to 760 PS. Chevrolet and Honda have committed to participating in the new engine specification, which will offer higher torque, more power and better overall performance compared to the current generation of INDYCAR SERIES engines.

“Everyone at Chevrolet is looking forward to this next era of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and the debut of the IR-28 in 2028,” said Eric Warren, GM Vice President of Global Motorsports Competition. “This new car builds on more than a decade of collaboration with INDYCAR, and we are confident that the new 2.4-litre twin-turbo V6 engine will deliver the performance, sound and excitement that INDYCAR fans have come to expect from Team Chevy – the same standard that has already produced 16 manufacturers’ championships and 13 victories at the Indianapolis 500.”

“For more than 30 years, Honda has been building on its racing heritage as a key partner of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, and we look forward to beginning this next chapter with the IR-28, powered by our new, US-manufactured HRC V6 hybrid powertrain,” said David Salters, President of Honda Racing Corporation USA. “INDYCAR offers some of the best racing in the world, and this evolution of the formula creates new opportunities to further enhance the racing experience – a lighter car, a more powerful hybrid powertrain, an even safer and more exciting chassis, and aerodynamic challenges for our Honda staff and teams. Together, these advances will help lead INDYCAR into a new era. Honda is proud to be part of this future, underpinned by the long-term commitment we made to the series earlier this year. We can’t wait to see the IR-28 on the track, thrilling our INDYCAR fans.”

The low-voltage hybrid technology will continue to evolve from 2028 onwards, offering greater energy storage capacity, more operational flexibility for the teams, and a package that is around 20 pounds (approx. 9 kilograms) lighter than the current INDYCAR SERIES power unit. The significant increase in performance and greater flexibility in use are made possible by a new partnership with the British company Helix, a world-leading provider of next-generation solutions for the development and supply of electric powertrain systems.

With a client list that already includes Formula 1 and Formula E teams, as well as track-proven innovations that power the hypercars of tomorrow, Helix’s hybrid concept for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES remains housed within the bell housing – between the internal combustion engine and the gearbox.

The new hybrid platform will feature the first battery-based energy storage system (ESS) in the history of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, supplied by BOLD Technology, a company selected by INDYCAR for the programme. BOLD is headquartered at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya and is expanding its US operations in Michigan. The company develops advanced battery systems for Formula 1, as well as for aerospace and defence applications. The ESS for the IR-28 offers an energy storage capacity approximately 14 times greater than the current supercapacitor-based system – giving drivers and teams far greater flexibility regarding when and how to utilise the hybrid power – whilst also contributing to a lighter, safer powertrain package that has been developed and certified to the most stringent safety standards in motorsport.

Xtrac, the exclusive supplier to INDYCAR since 2000 and a partner of Helix, is supplying gearboxes for the new chassis. Among the developments is a gearbox that weighs 25 pounds (approx. 11 kilograms) less than the current model.

Safety Advances

Whilst the IR-28 delivers faster lap times, higher speeds and more action on the track, it is also designed to ensure driver safety more than ever before. From the aeroscreen to the roll cage and the side-impact protection structures, the new car seamlessly integrates the latest advances in safety and design into its core architecture. The new chassis has been engineered to exceed the stricter of the two sets of specifications – either those of INDYCAR or the FIA – and offers measurable safety improvements over the current car, including:

Cockpit:

Side protection:

Crash dynamics:

A comprehensive initial test programme for the new IR-28 covers a wide range of circuits and layouts, including the street circuit and the famous oval at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the Sebring International Raceway and others. Test dates and dates for media events will be announced at a later date.