– For years, things were kept under wraps, now developments are happening rapidly: After the IndyCar series released the first images of the future standard car, the Dallara IR-28, on Tuesday this week, confirmations for the location and participants for the first test drives of the new car are now being announced.
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Alex Palou, four-time and current IndyCar champion, and Alexander Rossi, 2016 Indy 500 winner, will already take to the track this weekend (August 1/2, 2026) for two days on the road course in the infield of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway with the Dallara IR-28.
This first test is anything but a performance test; it is purely a shakedown to check the basic functionality of Dallara’s new design. The IndyCar division of Dallara, where the standard cars for the IndyCar series have been produced for over 20 years, is located in close proximity to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Not least for this reason, the Indianapolis road course was chosen as the venue for the IR-28 shakedown. Later in the test program for the new car, testing will also take place in Sebring (Florida) and on other tracks. The oval at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is also firmly planned as a location for test drives. However, this first oval test will not take place this weekend.
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Rossi will be the first to drive the Dallara IR-28 on the Indianapolis road course in the road course version, on Saturday (August 1). Palou will take over on Sunday (August 2). The driver selection was made so that one of the current regular drivers from Chevrolet’s lineup and one from Honda’s lineup were chosen to sit in the car during the shakedown.
Rossi and Palou will drive the same car over the weekend. It will have one of the 2.4-liter V6 engines used from 2028 in the rear, but a base version supplied by Ilmor. The first manufacturer-specific test drives with the IR-28 will begin later in the extensive IR-28 test program.
The Dallara IR-28 is the first new IndyCar chassis since 2012. Back then, the Dallara DW12 made its debut, and this car is still in use today after several adjustments over the years – aerodynamics, aeroscreen, hybrid. The upcoming 2027 IndyCar season will be the last for the DW12 before the IR-28 becomes the new standard car for all IndyCar teams starting with the opening race of the 2028 season.
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