is it time to panic?
Indycar, North America’s premier open-wheel racing series, is facing an existential challenge. A few short decades ago the series was arguably the most popular form of racing in the United States and was a legitimate contender for global popularity, but 30 years on and despite having some of the best on-track action anywhere in the world their biggest threat to survival may also be their best motivation for change.
Arguably Indycar’s biggest concern in recent years has been attracting additional manufacturer interest. When the current chassis and engine formulas arrived in 2012 three OEMs signed on to supply the 2.2-liter turbocharged V6 power units: Chevrolet, Honda, and Lotus. The ill-fated and underfunded Lotus program folded before the end of their first season and Indycar has failed to attract any additional parties since.
Several OEMs have been rumored as the elusive third manufacturer and at least three came close enough to make headlines, but Porsche, Ferrari, and Toyota all ultimately chose to pass on Indycar. Chevy and Honda have both done everything in their power to attract some competition, including offering technical data and assistance to any potentially interested parties that would ease their development curve. Famed racing engine manufacturer Cosworth even designed their own Indycar powerplant that just needed OEM backing to start production, but still no takers.
Indycar’s best attempt at attracting new suppliers came in the form of hybridization, with a proposed new engine formula to accompany the hybrid component that was ultimately scuttled after it failed to attract even a single new manufacturer. At the time of writing Indycar’s current plans are to continue using the existing internal combustion engines and add a spec electric energy harvesting/deployment system comprised of a supercapacitor and electric motor contained entirely within the bellhousing of the gearbox. After ten years of missed opportunities, pushed deadlines, and increasingly stretched budgets it would appear that at least one of the remaining suppliers have reached their breaking point.
In an interview with Racer Magazine, American Honda Motorsports Manager Chuck Schifsky intimated that when Honda’s current engine supplier contract with Indycar expires in 2026 that the Japanese manufacturer may exit the series. Schifsky cited the mounting costs and diminishing return on investment as the primary reason fueling potential withdrawal.
“We don’t have a third manufacturer, and there’s a reason for that: It has to do with the cost.” Schifsky told Racer, “If the return on investment matched up with the investment, we’d have a number of other manufacturers involved.” Schifsky also stated Honda was “looking for wholesale changes to the engine regulations” that would trim millions from their budget.
Honda, and by extension Acura, are involved in a variety of motorsports programs globally but there are some glaring differences in what’s required of a manufacturer in Indycar. In most racing series Honda supplies a team, or a few teams, with equipment and support. In Indycar, each engine manufacturer is responsible for building four to five engines per season for 16-18 full-season cars, as well as providing technical support for each one. The engine leases themselves aren’t particularly lucrative, and the marketing opportunities for an engine – built to the same specification and hidden under the same bodywork as your competitors – are limited.
By contrast, OEM interest is at an all-time high for the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Series’ top-level GTP category. Though the commitments and engine formulas are quite different, IMSA currently has factory-backed programs from Acura, Cadillac, BMW, Porsche, and Lamborghini. Though unconfirmed officially, the hybrid powerplant currently nestled in Acura’s ARX-06 prototype racer is widely believed to have been intended for dual use in their Indycar program before that engine formula was canceled. That Honda feels their returns in IMSA’s GTP category well exceed that of Indycar is telling in the cost currently asked of manufacturers in each series.
To say the roll out of Indycar’s most drastic change in over a decade has been messy would be an understatement, but to give credit where credit is due the series has found ways to effectively extend the lifespan of its Dallara DW12 chassis since its debut in 2012. While the chassis is technically the same, it has seen massive updates in safety equipment and bodywork through its development cycle; most recently with the introduction of the current UAK18 aerodynamic package in 2018, followed closely by the addition of the aeroscreen in 2020. The series currently has no timeline for when a new chassis might be considered so there’s no telling how much longer Dallara will continue to massage their 11-year-old design.
Of course whether Indycar needs a new car is a point of debate. Team owners don’t feel the need to spend millions of dollars on new tubs that may not race any better than the current car. The drivers – some louder than others – have voiced interest in a new chassis that might trim weight and rebalance a very rear-heavy car, as well as update the series image. The latter point is desperately relevant given Indycar’s well-documented struggles in attracting a younger demographic.
On their own the engine formula and aging chassis may not be apocalyptic threats to Indycar’s survival, but they are indicative of a larger problem within the direction of the series. Whether Honda’s imminent decision to stay or vacate the series spurns a change in philosophy from Indycar’s leadership remains to be seen, but the resounding message from the fanbase and much of the paddock is that they cannot afford to do nothing.
When Roger Penske took ownership of Indycar and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2020, it was understood that positive change was coming to a series that was starting to fall behind. Renovations and updates to IMS were perhaps seen as a precursor to what Penske had in store for the series as a whole, but after three years at the helm nothing substantial has materialized; even the hybridization project was set in motion long before the series changed hands.
More than that, the key component missing from the Penske era thus far has been direction. Indycar has a solid foundation to build on with event equity and racing that other motorsports might only dream of, but with no blueprint of where to take that foundation the series best case scenario is to maintain the status quo. Arguably, an ultimatum from half of its engine partners demanding the kind of change that Indycar leadership seems so reluctant to make on its own might finally force the series to consider its future and what it wants to be to its next generation of fans.
Stagnation is a death knell for a top-level sport that relies on marketing budgets from major corporations to keep itself afloat. Without the technical and financial support of major automotive brands Indycar risks losing its relevance and marketability as a professional sport, no matter how good the racing is. Although the series is seeing historic levels of stability in its car counts and event schedule it feels as though their current strategy of conservative incremental growth may have hit its rev limiter. 2024 is shaping up to be a make-or-break year for American open-wheel racing, and whether it be through a revised engine formula, new chassis, new major event, opening up other areas of the formula for development, or even a road map to achieving those things, its time for Indycar to pull the paddle and shift its focus to the future.