IndyCar Unveils New 2028 Chassis and Redesigned Car

IndyCar has officially shown the world what its future looks like. On Tuesday, the new chassis and powertrain package for 2028, built with Dallara, was unveiled – introducing what the series is calling the safest car yet for the series.

The IR-28 will make its debut at the start of the 2028 championship season, with initial testing beginning this week across a mix of circuits, including Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course and oval, and Sebring International Raceway. According to IndyCar President Doug Boles, this is a project that has been years in the making with partners Dallara, Chevrolet, Honda, Firestone, and Shell.

The headlines? The IR-28 will weighh approximately 100 pounds less than the current car. The power-to-weight ratio will let drivers push harder; aerodynamics have been built to optimize wake to enhance overtaking, new front and rear wings to allow closer running, and the first battery-based Energy Storage System (hybrid) delivering 14 times the energy storage capacity of the current system.

In all? The "Fastest Racing on Earth" is only expected to get faster from 2028 and beyond.

Evolution of IndyCar Series Technology

The headlines for this new chassis are the weight, energy, and driver safety. With a car that is 100 pounds lighter, this improves the ability for drivers to simply handle the car due to the lack of power steering. However, the engine itself is the real headline when it comes to the new car.

Power will come from a 2.4-liter twin-turbocharged V6 engine capable of up to 760 horsepower (current cars are capable of 550-750 horsepower with push-to-pass). This will be a major leap in performance for the current generation of engines. Leaders from Chevrolet and Honda have both commented on their excitement in collaborating on this new technology.

IndyCar IR-28 Studio Rendering | Penske Entertainment

"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."
Eric Warren, GM VP of Motorsport Comp.

"This evolution of the formula creates new opportunities to enhance it [HRC V6 Hybrid powertrain] – 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."
David Salters, President HRC USA

On the hybrid side, the car has needed new technology as the series has been forced to evaluate how the current hybrid works with the cars over the past couple of seasons. This will be the first battery-based Energy Storage system in the series' history, which is supplied by BOLD Technology.

Current IndyCar — Team Penske driver Scott McLaughlin (3) and Arrow McLaren driver Alexander Rossi (7) leads a pack of cars into Turn 1 during the NTT IndyCar Series hybrid test Tuesday, June 11, 2024, at the Milwaukee Mile in West Allis, Wisconsin. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The unit itself has 14 times the energy storage capacity of the current system and is 20 pounds lighter than before. The new design comes from a partnership with Helix, a supplier that works with Formula 1 and Formula E teams. Alongside this update, Xtrac will supply a new gearbox that is 25 pounds lighter than the current unit.

Aerodynamically, the car has been purpose-built for the first time to optimize 'wake' and overtaking. The IndyCar racing product itself has needed evolution, with the tutelage of Fox Sports providing more eyes on the series than the past decade-plus – better, faster, closer racing through this redesign is the answer. Now cars can follow closer through corners with a car that is lighter and more aerodynamic.

On safety, the chassis has now been built to exceed IndyCar and FIA specifications with wider cockpit dimensions to fit a wide range of driver sizes, absorb side impact, and improve stability during racing incidents. Some of the drivers have commented on this change as a very welcome development.

Felix Rosenqvist Indianapolis 500 Win | Penske Entertainment by: Joe Skibinski

"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. 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."
Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank Racing

To close out the changes, the redesign has even added elements for sponsors and fans. The car has added a digital car position display for practice, qualifying, and races, with a transparent window in the engine cover to showcase manufacturer branding and expanded surface area for series and team sponsor branding.

"It Still Looks Like an IndyCar"

This was the primary reaction from drivers and stakeholders throughout the series. On the heels of Formula 1's major redesign at the start of the 2026 season that saw a drastically new look for F1 cars, IndyCar seems not to have followed their lead of a major visual change.

Drivers up and down the grid have reacted to what they've seen so far with great excitement for the future.

"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. 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."
Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing

"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. This does all of those things."
Alexander Rossi, ECR

IndyCar, of course, has matched this excitement with stinger videos explaining to fans exactly what to expect from this new generation of cars. The videos feature James Hinchcliffe and Matt Damon to usher in the new era for the NTT INDYCAR Series.

The next IndyCar Series race is next weekend at the OnlyBulls Grand Prix of Portland on Sunday, August 9th, with coverage beginning at 4 PM ET on Fox.

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