ELKHART LAKE, Wis. – Penske Entertainment executives rolled out its plan for IndyCar’s next-generation chassis and engine formula in a private meeting of its team owners midway Saturday at Road America, the series announced in a release.
The car, which earlier this month the series confirmed to be on track for the start of the 2028 season, will include between 85 to 100 pounds of weight reduction, house a 2.4-liter twin-turbocharged V-6 internal combustion engine — the engine originally planned to be rolled out in tandem with the debut of IndyCar’s bespoke hybrid unit — and a low-voltage hybrid unit that will continue to evolve off of the current model in use to eventually include “longer deployment, more horsepower gain and overall improved performance.”
On-track testing for the car will begin in 2026, with Dallara producing the chassis that, according to the series, will “feature a look designed to appeal to a new generation of fans while keeping styling cues recognized by all as an IndyCar series car.”
“The time has come for a new IndyCar series chassis,” IndyCar president Doug Boles said. “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 aero screen to the hybrid power unit — have helped advanced 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.”
Also noted in the release, Xtrac, an exclusive supplier for IndyCar since 2000, will continue to provide transmissions for the new chassis. The new car will feature a new gearbox that will shed 25 pounds and that will share components with the future Indy NXT gearbox. Performance Friction Corporation will again be the exclusive supplier of brake system components for the series, as it has since 2017. The new car will also include an ergonomic driver cockpit to improve seating position, as well as an integrated aero screen and a new roll hoop.
Renderings of the new car as well as information on its test schedule and additional partners will be announced at a later date.
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: What changes will IndyCar make to new car? Weight reduction, engine formula, more
Reporting by Nathan Brown, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
