8 hours ago
IndyCar Unveils the 2028 Race Car
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IndyCar announced the new car for the 2028 season, which will be ready for testing in 2026.
The American racing series revealed the new race car while at the Road America track ahead of the XPEL Grand Prix.
Dallara is producing the new chassis for the car, continuing as the exclusive chassis for IndyCar as it has since 2008.
The series officials plan on the new design improving the racing throughout all four track types and pushing the car's development further.
"The time has come for a new NTT INDYCAR SERIES chassis," INDYCAR President Douglas Boles said in a statement.
"The DW12 served the series so well, as it provided a combination of phenomenal, wheel-to-wheel racing and critical enhancements to safety.
"But recent significant updates to the car - from the aeroscreen to the hybrid power unit - have helped advance the need for a completely new car.
"We are pleased by what our engineers and Dallara have collaboratively designed and believe it will appeal to the fans and paddock while also upholding our standards of safety and enhancing INDYCAR's on-track competition well into the future."
The 2028 car features a projected weight of 85-100 pounds compared to the current model. The engine is going to become a 2.4-liter twin-turbocharged V-6 internal combustion engine, which should be more powerful.
Scott McLaughlin, driver of the #3 Dex imaging Team Penske Chevrolet drives during the NTT INDYCAR Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on March 02, 2025 in St Petersburg, Florida.
Scott McLaughlin, driver of the #3 Dex imaging Team Penske Chevrolet drives during the NTT INDYCAR Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on March 02, 2025 in St Petersburg, Florida.
Photo by Miguel will create the power supply as it has since 2000. They designed the engine to be 25 pounds lighter and to use more electrical power.
The new model is still not set, as the designers and engineers are still rounding out the rough edges of the design.
IndyCar stated that further details and renderings of the design are yet to come. It is unclear when the timeline for its unveiling will.
While the features and promise of the new car sound nice, there is still much to be learned from testing to see if it can deliver better racing than the current generation of cars.
IndyCar's European competitor, Formula 1, introduced a new set of regulations in 2022, which promised better racing, but the cars are creating more dirty air than ever, making it harder for cars to follow others.
If they manage to develop a meaningful improvement over the current car that races better across the different tracks, the series' unique tracks could shine more, setting it apart from any other motorsport in the world and continuing to compete with F1.