The NTT INDYCAR SERIES has a new chassis on order from Italian constructor Dallara, who have made the sole chassis for the series since it was known as the Indy Racing League (IRL). The current tub has been in use since 2012 and was developed by the late Dan Wheldon; initially it was called the DW12 but has been known as IR-12 the past few years.
There was a time that there was more than one chassis constructor in the United States’ prime open-wheel racing class. For a series intent on showing how it can racing on short ovals, super speedways, road and street courses, having more than one constructor used to make sense. Then it didn’t, due in part to diminishing sponsor dollars.
INDYCAR has been talking about a new chassis for at least half a decade. The new tub was due in 2024, 2025, 2026 and finally, 2027. Now that it will definitely be a 2028 model, the vehicle has been shown to its users and, of course, everyone is weighing in with praise for the Italian constructor who has offices and manufacturing capability in Speedway, IN, just a stone’s throw from Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Dallara has been the sole chassis constructor for this series – and for its INDY NXT series – for at least the last two decades. The last competition for Dallara came from G Force, which won the Indianapolis 500 in 2004 with Buddy Rice. That builder checked out a year or two later and not one constructor has come forward to challenge Dallara since that time.
INDYCAR worked hand in hand with Dallara to produce the new IR-28 chassis, one that the chassis maker and the series sanction believes will provide faster lap times, improved racecraft and more wheel-to-wheel action. Safety is a huge aspect of the Dallara design, which was introduced to the public on Tuesday, July 28 through a video narrated by Academy Award winner Matt Damon, currently starring in “The Odyssey.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L39zUEJGC1o
The IR-28 chassis is about 100 pounds lighter than its predecessor, and the car’s aeroscreen, too, has lost weight and gained safety support, intending to boost raceability and give the IR-28 a “fighter-jet look and feel,” the series attests. The more favorable power-to-weight ratio of the new car should make the IR-28 capable of breaking track records, especially at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The goal is to eclipse the one-and four-lap qualification records set by Arie Luyendyk in 1996. (237.498mph for the single lap; 236.986 for four laps)
As expected, the new design is sleek, with its aerodynamic architecture built to optimize the wake from front to rear of the car, hopefully enhancing overtaking opportunities. Another benefit includes, for Indy, an aerodynamically more stable speedway front wing. There are new front and rear wings that have been, INDYCAR says, optimized for both style and efficiency. The larger road and street-course wings are more aggressive than in the past, with the possible exception of 2015, when both Chevrolet and Honda were making their individual wing ends and add-ons. Foe superspeedways, the configuration is intended to provide max downforce combined with limited drag.
In this new chassis, the design was optimized to effect the wake from front to rear, thereby increasing overtaking opportunities. The 2028 design intends to reduce outwash and, for Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a more aerodynamically stable speedway front wing.
In making this new design, Dallara focused on driver-adjustable anti-roll bars, providing for enhanced tuning by the driver, while cleaning up the cockpit by eliminating standard knobs and handles, replaced by electronic controls that enhance driver safety, Dallara said.
Built around a lightwave, shared damping architecture, the IR-28 introduces a new Custom AXIS Inertance Control Suspension System. Built around a lighter weight, and shared damping architecture, this AXIS platform expands spring, damper and inerter tuning options – purportedly without adding costs. This suspension platform is highly tunable and has multi-mode design to improve mechanical grip through suspension optimization. INDYCAR is the sole major racing championship that permits both front and rear third-element inerter systems, making IR-28 one of the more advanced suspension platforms.
The 2028 class contains a new engine, a 2.4-liter twin-turbocharged V6 internal combustion engine (ICE) capable of producing as many as 760 horsepower in optimum tune. Both Chevy and Honda are on-board with this new engine that gives their drivers more torque, power and, we assume, overall performance compared to the current engines.
INDYCAR’s low-voltage hybrid technology will change in 2028 and beyond, giving greater power storage, core deployment options for the teams and a package that’s about 20 pounds lighter than the current power unit. Significant performance advancement and deployment variability are provided through a new partnership with UK-based Helix, a global leader in delivering electric drive systems. Helix works with teams in FIA Formula One and Formula E. The system, as before, is packaged within the car’s bell housing, located between the ICE and the gearbox. Xtrac continues providing transmissions for the new chassis; they are a Helix associate. The new gearbox should be about 25 pounds lighter than the previous one.
INDYCAR’s focus on safety includes updates to the IR-28’S cockpit, featuring wider internal dimensions and enhanced internal airflow for driver cooling, better side impact protection and better stability during “nose-up” sliding or spinning incidents.
INDYCAR fans should enjoy a returning feature that’s been on hiatus for several years. The IR-28 features a digital car position display that shows position of the car in practice, qualifying and in each race. There’s a unique transparent widow in the engine cover, highlighting the manufacturer – either Chevrolet or Honda – and any additional manufacturer branding, should INDYCAR finally entice a third engine into its lair. Design updates for 2028 include more visible surface areas for series and team sponsorships.
Two days after its introduction, INDYCAR announced a two-driver IR-28 validation test this upcoming Saturday and Sunday, to be held on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. 2016 Indianapolis 500 winner Alexander Rossi, who drives with Ed Carpenter Racing along with four-time reigning champion – and 2025 Indy 500 winner – Alex Palou from Chip Ganassi Racing are the pair testing the new chassis’ road-course settings. Rossi tests Saturday while Palou is on-track Sunday, the series said. The track’s Turn Two viewing mounds will be open to the public both days.
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