IndyCar Unveils First Look at New Chassis Set to Debut in 2028

By David Morgan, Associate Editor

The future is here.

On Tuesday, the NTT IndyCar Series unveiled the first look at its new chassis set to debut in 2028, aptly named the IR-28, designed in conjunction with Dallara with speed, safety, and an enhanced racing product in mind for the radical new car.

With a weight reduction of approximately 100 pounds, the new design will provide teams a greater power to weight ratio over the current chassis, with numerous other design cues focused on making the current IndyCar product even better on every type of race track, from superspeedways to road and street courses.

New front and rear wings will give the car an aggressive stance on road and street courses, while on superspeedways, added downforce and reduced drag will be the name of the game.

The aeroscreen, which was introduced as an add-on feature of the current chassis, will now be a vital part of the overall car design to amplify the feel of these cars truly being fighter jets on four wheels.

Other innovations going into the car include electronically controlled anti-roll bars replacing the current mechanical ones and the introduction of the Custom AXIS Inertance Control Suspension System, which per IndyCar “expands spring, damper and inerter tuning options without increasing costs.”

The digital car position display also makes its return as an integrated part of the new chassis to allow fans to be able to track their favorite driver even easier with positioning displayed right on the car itself. A new transparent window over the engine housing will also allow fans to see the powerplant that feeds these machines.

Speaking of the engine, both Chevrolet and Honda are on board to provide the 2.4-liter twin-turbo V6 engines for their respective teams and drivers, with an expected output of upwards of 760 horsepower.

“Everyone at Chevrolet is looking forward to this next era of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and the debut of the IR-28 in 2028,” GM Vice President of Global Motorsports Competition Eric Warren said.

“This new car builds on more than a decade of collaboration with INDYCAR, and we’re confident the new 2.4-liter, twin-turbo V6 engine will deliver the performance, sound and excitement INDYCAR fans expect from Team Chevy — the same standard that has produced 16 manufacturer championships and 13 Indianapolis 500 victories.”

Honda Racing Corporation USA President David Salters added, “For more than 30 years, Honda has built upon its racing heritage as a key partner of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, and we are excited to begin this next chapter with the IR-28 powered by our new American-made HRC V6 Hybrid powertrain.

“INDYCAR delivers some of the best racing on the planet, and this evolution of the formula creates new opportunities to enhance it—a lighter car, a more powerful hybrid powertrain, an even safer chassis and exciting chassis, and aerodynamic engineering challenges for our Honda associates and teams.

“Together, these advancements will help usher INDYCAR into a new era. Honda is proud to be part of that future, supported by the long-term commitment we made to the series earlier this year. We can’t wait to see the IR-28 on track entertaining our INDYCAR fans.”

Hybrid technology also takes a step forward with the new car in the form of a new hybrid unit that is approximately 20 pounds lighter in a partnership with Helix and BOLD Technology to provide the units.

The new hybrid features the first battery-based Electrical Storage System and will provide nearly 14 times the energy storage capacity of the current supercapacitor-based system in use today.

XTrac will continue to provide transmissions for the series, with the new IR-28 transmission expected to shed approximately 25 pounds over present day.

Then comes the safety aspect of the car, with enhancements in the cockpit, side impact protection, and in overall crash dynamics. Some of those advanced safety features include:

• Driver cockpit:
  • The chassis features wider internal dimensions to accommodate a greater range of driver heights and body types.
  • The IR-28 also features enhanced internal airflow and driver cooling for improved comfort and performance.
• Side impact protection:
  • Decades worth of race and incident evaluations – including chassis additions – have created a chassis that features stronger, more efficient side-structure design providing increased energy absorption in high-impact situations.
• Crash dynamics:
  • Improved stability with a natural tendency to remain grounded during “nose-up,” sliding or spinning incidents.

The testing campaign for the new car is expected to begin immediately with on-track time at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, both the oval and road course, as well as Sebring International Raceway in Florida and other sites yet to be named.

Unmistakably INDYCAR.
Undeniably the Fastest Racing on Earth.

The next generation of speed has arrived. pic.twitter.com/9Kur5S1PLt

— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) July 28, 2026

“We are pleased to unveil renderings of the new NTT INDYCAR SERIES chassis that will take our sport into an exciting new era,” INDYCAR President J. Douglas Boles said.

“As you can imagine, a project of this magnitude takes an incredible amount of planning, collaboration and execution. I would like to thank all of our partners including Dallara, Chevrolet, Honda, Firestone and Shell, who have worked tirelessly to create a package that will enhance INDYCAR’s already incredible competition and industry-leading growth.

“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.”

What the Drivers are Saying

“Seeing the car for the first time made me even more excited about where INDYCAR is going. The design is super cool and feels like a proper next step for the series while still looking like an INDYCAR SERIES car,” said four-time IndyCar champion Alex Palou.

“I think the fans are going to love it, and as a driver I cannot wait to get behind the wheel. The most important thing is that we keep the close, fun racing that makes INDYCAR special, and from what I’ve seen, we’re heading in a really good direction.”

“The car is awesome. We all wanted a new, modern-day car that is lighter and looks futuristic and fast but still has all of the incredible safety advancements that INDYCAR is known for,” added Alexander Rossi, driver of the No. 20 ECR Chevrolet.

“This does all of those things. There are still a lot of things to work through in terms of on-track testing and how it reacts to the different types of environments it will be exposed to, but from a visual standpoint, it’s incredible. This is something people will be excited about.”

The reigning Indy 500 champion Felix Rosenqvist also weighed in on the new car, with just as much excitement as his fellow drivers.

“There is a ‘wow’ factor. The first thing that struck me is that it has more room in the cockpit and will fit differently-sized drivers, which is really good,” said Rosenqvist.

“Secondly, it definitely has the INDYCAR DNA, which was a worry for me that it wouldn’t look like an INDYCAR SERIES car. This definitely does. It also has an aggressive look with an integrated aeroscreen and a car that addresses a lot of little tweaks that drivers have asked for. Dallara has delivered on almost everything. I’m super excited for the future.”