IndyCar Unveils Next-Gen 'IR-28' Race Car After A Decade Of Waiting

IndyCar has unwrapped its highly anticipated next-generation race car, the Dallara IR-28, with the new car scheduled to make its racing debut at the start of the 2028 season.

The brand-new chassis and aero pack replaces the long-serving Dallara DW12 chassis that has been running around the series since 2012-it’s basically vintage at this point.

The redesign focused on reducing weight, increasing driver safety, and fundamentally changing the aerodynamics to maximize wheel-to-wheel overtaking opportunities. IndyCar people openly say that the IR-28 is engineered to eclipse current lap times and actively smash long-standing track records-including Arie Luyendyk’s legendary 236.9 mph qualifying average set at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1996.

Rather than chasing pure downforce at the expense of the chasing pack, the IR-28’s aerodynamic furniture has been purpose-built from day one to optimize the vehicle’s wake.

Key design and bodywork highlights include:

• Reduced Outwash: Minimize disruptive dirty air, allowing trailing cars to follow significantly closer through high-speed corners without losing front-end grip.

• Redesigned Wings: The package introduces a highly efficient new rear wing along with a more aerodynamically stable front wing configuration specifically optimized for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval.

• Visual Evolution: While maintaining traditional IndyCar DNA, the car features a sleeker silhouette, a seamless integration of the safety aeroscreen, and a transparent rear engine cover window that shows factory Chevrolet and Honda branding.

Reduced Outwash: Minimize disruptive dirty air, allowing trailing cars to follow significantly closer through high-speed corners without losing front-end grip.

Redesigned Wings: The package introduces a highly efficient new rear wing along with a more aerodynamically stable front wing configuration specifically optimized for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval.

Visual Evolution: While maintaining traditional IndyCar DNA, the car features a sleeker silhouette, a seamless integration of the safety aeroscreen, and a transparent rear engine cover window that shows factory Chevrolet and Honda branding.

A big part of the car’s ability to follow closely will depend on the mechanical grip from the suspension system overhaul. The car will use Custom AXIS suspension optimized to maximize pure mechanical grip, reducing the reliance on clean air. IndyCar remains the only major championship to permit both front and rear suspension third-element inertance systems-heave springs if you will.

The Dallara IR-28 will also move to electronically controlled, driver-adjustable anti-roll bars. The steering-wheel-mounted buttons will replace the traditional cockpit levers and knobs.

IndyCar’s next-generation era will move to an upgraded 2.4-liter twin-turbocharged V6 engine capable of hammering out up to 760 horsepower. The extra displacement relative to the current 2.2-liter units gives the engine suppliers a fatter baseline to deliver increased torque and power.

The V6 internal combustion engine will continue to be paired with a low-voltage hybrid system. The next-gen hybrid system will be provided by Helix and will switch to a battery-based system rather than the current supercapacitor configuration. The battery, supplied by BOLD Technology, will offer 14 times more energy storage and provide more versatile deployment options on track. Most importantly, it will shed approximately 20 pounds compared to the heavy first-generation supercapacitor configuration currently wedged between the engine and gearbox.

Validation field testing kicks off this week using a pair of physical IR28 prototype chassis tubs that were quietly delivered to Dallara USA’s facility on N Main Street in Speedway, Indiana, down the street from IMS earlier this spring.

The test sessions are expected to use an unbadged 2.4-liter twin-turbo V6 validation engine supplied by Ilmor.