All you need to know about IndyCar’s new chassis and engine plans for 2028

IndyCar has unveiled plans to introduce an all-new car for the 2028 season, marking the series' biggest technical overhaul in more than a decade.

The championship has again commissioned Dallara - its exclusive chassis supplier since 2008 - to design and build the next-generation car. Key priorities for the project include enhanced competition, improved powertrain technology and upgraded safety standards.

Notably, the new chassis will be 85-100 pounds (38-45kg) lighter than the current DW12, which has been in service since 2012. The weight reduction mirrors a similar direction being taken by Formula 1 with its 2026 ruleset, aimed at improving agility and efficiency.

Power will come from a 2.4-litre twin-turbo V6 engine, a slight bump in displacement from the 2.2-litre units currently produced by Chevrolet and Honda. 

Xtrac will continue to supply the gearbox, with the next iteration expected to be 25 pounds (11.3kg) lighter to further enhance performance.

IndyCar says the new car will be optimized for all four track types on its schedule: superspeedways, short ovals, street circuits and road courses.

The series will retain a low-voltage hybrid system, first introduced in 2024, but with upgrades planned for "longer deployment, increased horsepower and overall improved performance."

Track testing of the yet-to-be-named car is scheduled to begin in early 2026, two years ahead of its planned race debut.

“The time has come for a new NTT INDYCAR SERIES chassis,” said IndyCar President J. Douglas Boles.

“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 aeroscreen to the hybrid power unit – have helped advance 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.”

First introduced in 2012, the DW12 will have completed a 16-year run before it’s finally replaced.

However, the car that originally began life as IR-12 has gone through several iterative updates in its lifespan, including a universal aero kit in 2018, an aeroscreen in 2020 and most recently the hybrid system in the middle of 2024.