INDYCAR’s new IR-28 chassis booked for first on-track testing this weekend
By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio
INDYCAR’s new-for-28 NTT IndyCar Series IR-28 chassis package will undergo its first on-track validation tests this weekend on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road-Course.
Series regulars Alex Palou and Alexander Rossi are scheduled to turn hot laps on the 2.439-mile/14-turn layout that incorporates 3,700-feet of the 2.5-mile IMS oval’s front stretch.
Unveiled Tuesday, the new chassis and powertrain package features a modernized look designed to provide faster lap times and improved race-ability in a bid to create more wheel-to-wheel action. The latest chassis from Dallara Automobili is touted as the safest car ever produced for “The Fastest Racing on Earth.”
The IR-28 will weigh approximately 100 pounds less than the current car. The more favorable power-to-weight ratio theoretically will allow drivers to push harder and deliver more competitive, wheel-to-wheel action.
As previously announced, power for the new car will be provided by 2.4-liter twin-turbocharged V6 internal combustion engines capable of producing up to 760 horsepower. Series partners Chevrolet and Honda have committed to participate under the new engine formula, which will deliver increased torque, power and overall performance compared to the current generation of their engines.
The new car is scheduled make its competition debut at the start of the 2028 championship season.
Rossi, winner of the landmark 100th Indianapolis 500 in 2016, is scheduled to test Saturday, Aug. 1. “The car is awesome,” said Rossi, driver of the No. 20 Java House Chevrolet fielded by Ed Carpenter Racing. “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.
“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.”
Palou, the four-time/reigning series champion and winner of the 2025 Indy 500, is scheduled to test Sunday, Aug. 2.
“Seeing the car for the first time made me even more excited about where INDYCAR is going,” said Palou, a native of Spain and driver of the No. 10 DHL Honda fielded by Chip Ganassi Racing. “The design is super-cool and feels like a proper next step for the series while still looking like an INDYCAR 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.”
Both drivers will comment on their experiences after each test. In addition, INDYCAR Vice President of Competition/Race Engineering Mike O’Gara will be available at the conclusion of both test days for media interviews.
The Turn 2 Viewing Mounds at IMS will be open to the public both days.
Next series race is the OnlyBulls Grand Prix of Portland, Round 13 of the 2026 championship from Portland (Ore.) International Raceway on, Sunday, Aug. 9. Coverage will begin at 4 p.m. (EDT) on FOX, FOX Deportes and FOX One. Audio coverage will be available via INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls on SiriusXM Channel 218 and the INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA.
Chip Ganassi Racing is launching an innovative, in-house editorial division. CGR Media is a strategic initiative designed to produce premium long-form video and print content for fans while delivering enhanced value to its partners in an evolving media landscape.
Longtime motorsports journalist Jenna Fryer will oversee the division as Director of Media, a position encompassing public relations and expanded storytelling.
The new division will focus on creating compelling, original stories, including documentary-style video and behind-the-scenes editorial features. By investing in content-creation capabilities, CGR aims to deepen fan engagement and provide partners with integrated opportunities that extend beyond traditional sponsorship models.
Fryer, widely respected during her decades of coverage at The Associated Press, brings deep industry knowledge, storytelling expertise and credibility to the role. She will oversee editorial direction, in addition to leading CGR’s PR strategy and execution nationwide.
“When The AP informed me it was changing my role and the way we cover sports, Chip was one of the first people I called,” Fryer said in a team news release. “His immediate response was, ‘How do we continue telling these stories in the best possible way?’ That conversation helped spark the vision for what we’re building.
“I’m excited to join Chip Ganassi Racing at such a pivotal time, where world-class storytelling will be an integral part of this world-class organization. There are incredible stories inside this team and I’m proud to help bring them to life in deeper, more meaningful ways for the whole motorsports community.”
The CGR Media Division will work collaboratively with the team’s digital content team and partners to develop tailored storytelling initiatives. In an era where teams are increasingly acting as media platforms, CGR is positioned to lead by combining on-track excellence with world-class content production.
“As the media landscape continues to shift, it’s critical that we evolve alongside it,” Ganassi said. “This new division allows us to control our narrative, tell richer stories about our people and performance and create meaningful value for our partners through premium, owned content. Jenna’s experience and voice in this sport make her the ideal leader to build something truly special and unique.”
This move punctuates CGR’s commitment to remain at the forefront of both competition and commercial strategy, reinforcing its role not only as a championship-winning race team but also as a dynamic content engine within the global sports ecosystem. CGR Media ultimately will be supported by a new website and mobile app, creating a centralized destination for premium editorial, video and behind-the-scenes content.
NTT IndyCar Series Point Standings _ 1, Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing, 457; 2, David Malukas, Team Penske, 374; 3, Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global, 370; 4, Christian Lundgaard, Arrow McLaren, 353; 5, Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren, 336; 6, Josef Newgarden, Team Penske, 310; 7, Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank Racing, 296; 8, Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske, 295; 9, Marcus Ericsson, Andretti Global, 250; 10, Rinus VeeKay, Juncos Hollinger Racing, 237;
11, Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing, 236; 12, Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 229; 13, Marcus Armstrong, Meyer Shank Racing, 225; 14, Will Power, Andretti Global, 220; 15, Kyffin Simpson, Chip Ganassi Racing, 216; 16, Alexander Rossi, Ed Carpenter Racing, 197; 17, Santino Ferrucci, A.J. Foyt Racing, 196; 18, Louis Foster, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 173; 19, Nolan Siegel, Arrow McLaren, 164; 20, Dennis Hauger, Dale Coyne Racing, 157;
21, Romain Grosjean, Dale Coyne Racing, 155; 22, Christian Rasmussen, Ed Carpenter Racing, 151; 23, Caio Collet, A.J. Foyt Racing, 137; 24, Mick Schumacher, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 132; 25, Sting Ray Robb, Juncos Hollinger Racing, 123; 26, Derek Daly, Dryer & Reinbold Racing, 24; 27, Takuma Sato, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 20; 28, Jack Harvey, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, 8; 29, Jacob Abel, Abel Motorsports, 6; 30, Helio Castroneves, Meyer Shank Racing with Curb Agajanian, 5;
31, Ed Carpenter, Ed Carpenter Racing, 5; 32, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Arrow McLaren, 5; 33, Katherine Legge, HMD Motorsports with A.J. Foyt Racing, 5.
FOX SPORTS’ 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES BROADCAST SCHEDULE/(RACE WINNER)
Note _ All times Eastern
Sunday, March 1 _ Streets of St. Petersburg, Fla., (Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing)
Saturday, March 7 _ Phoenix Raceway, Avondale, Ariz., (Josef Newgarden, Team Penske)
Sunday, March 15 _ Streets of Arlington, Texas, (Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global)
Sunday, March 29 _ Barber Motorsports Park, Birmingham, Ala., (Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing)
Sunday, April 19 _ Streets of Long Beach, Calif., (Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing)
Saturday, May 9 _ Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road-Course, (Christian Lundgaard, Arrow McLaren)
Sunday, May 24 _ 110th Indianapolis 500, Indianapolis Motor Speedway Oval, (Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank Racing with Curb Agajanian)
Sunday, May 31 _ Streets of Downtown Detroit, (Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing)
Sunday, June 7 _ World Wide Technology Raceway, Madison, Ill., (Josef Newgarden, Team Penske)
Sunday, June 21 _ Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wis., 2 p.m., (Christian Lundgaard, Arrow McLaren)
Sunday, July 5 _ Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, (Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren)
Monday, July 20 _ Nashville Superspeedway, Lebanon, Tenn., (Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing)
Sunday, Aug. 9 _ Portland (Ore.) International Raceway, 4 p.m.
Sunday, Aug. 16 _ Streets of Markham, Canada, Noon
Sunday, Aug. 23 _ Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C., TBA
Saturday, Aug. 29 _ The Milwaukee Mile Race 1, West Allis, Wis., 2:30 p.m.
Sunday, Aug. 30 _ The Milwaukee Mile Race 2, West Allis, Wis., 1 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 6 _ WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Monterey, Calif., 2:30 p.m.
Note _ Dates and times subject to change.
2026 INDYCAR NXT BY FIRESTONE SCHEDULE/(RACE-WINNER)
Sunday, March 1 _ Streets of St. Petersburg, Fla., (Nikita Johnson, Cape Motorsports Powered by ECR)
Sunday, March 15 _ Streets of Arlington, Texas, (Max Taylor, Andretti Global)
Saturday, March 28 _ Barber Motorsports Park, Birmingham, Ala., (Nikita Johnson, Cape Motorsports Powered by ECR)
Sunday, March 29 _ Barber Motorsports Park, Birmingham, Ala., (Alessandro de Tullio, A.J. Foyt Racing)
Friday, May 8 _ Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road-Course Race 1, (Enzo Fittipaldi, HMD Motorsports)
Saturday, May 9 _ Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road-Course Race 2, (Tymek Kucharczyk, HMD Motorsports)
Sunday, May 31 _ Streets of Downtown Detroit, (Enzo Fittipaldi, HMD Motorsports)
Sunday, June 7 _ World Wide Technology Raceway, Madison, Ill., (Myles Rowe, Abel Motorsports)
Saturday, June 20 _ Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wis., Race 1, (Lochie Hughes, Andretti Global)
Sunday, June 21 _ Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wis., Race 2, (Matteo Nannini, Cape Motorsports powered by ECR)
Saturday, July 4 _ Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio, Race 1 (Enzo Fittipaldi, HMD Motorsports)
Sunday, July 5 _ Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio, Race 2 (Enzo Fittipaldi, HMD Motorsports)
Sunday, July 19 _ Nashville Superspeedway, Lebanon, Tenn. (Matteo Nannini, Cape Motorsports Powered by ECR)
Sunday, Aug. 9 _ Portland (Ore.) International Raceway
Sunday, Aug. 30 _ The Milwaukee Mile, West Allis, Wis.
Saturday, Sept. 5 _ Weather Tech Raceway Laguna Seca, Monterey, Calif., Race 1
Sunday, Sept. 6 _ Weather Tech Raceway Laguna Seca, Monterey, Calif., Race 2
