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IR-28 chassis to undergo two-day Sebring test Oct. 12–13 with Palou, Rossi driving

INDYCAR.com reports that the new IR-28 chassis will be tested at Sebring International Raceway on Oct. 12–13, 2026, with Alex Palou and Alexander Rossi scheduled to drive. Kyle Kirkwood and Scott McLaughlin will run Firestone tire tests in current INDYCAR machinery during the same sessions.

BUSINESSINDY BRIEFBy BusinessIndy Editorial StaffCommentsPublished October 9, 2026 at 5:35 PM EDT

AI-generated illustration of the topic: IR-28 chassis to undergo two-day Sebring test Oct. 12–13 with Palou, Rossi driving — AI illustration · Not a photograph of the reported event.

INDYCAR.com reports that the IR-28 chassis will be taken to Sebring International Raceway for a two-day test on Monday, 2026-10-12 and Tuesday, 2026-10-13. Alex Palou (Chip Ganassi Racing) and Alexander Rossi (ECR) are scheduled to drive the new car: Palou on Oct. 12 and Rossi on Oct. 13.

The notebook item also says Kyle Kirkwood (Andretti Global) and Scott McLaughlin (Team Penske) will turn laps at Sebring testing Firestone tires in current NTT INDYCAR SERIES machinery. The IR-28 is slated for introduction at the start of the 2028 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season; INDYCAR.com describes Sebring as having varied surfaces and many bumps, resembling temporary street circuits.

WHY IT MATTERS

The IR-28 is the next-generation INDYCAR chassis that INDYCAR.com says is scheduled to enter series competition at the start of the 2028 season. A controlled test at Sebring lets teams and drivers evaluate how the new chassis behaves on mixed surfaces and bumpy pavement before it arrives in race conditions. Sebring’s combination of asphalt, concrete and pronounced bumps is explicitly compared by INDYCAR.com to temporary street circuits, so engineers can observe ride, balance and suspension responses that matter for street and mixed-surface events.

Firestone’s tire work during the same test, using current cars, is a separate track program noted in the report; those laps help the tire supplier understand grip and wear characteristics on Sebring’s surfaces. For example: because Sebring mixes pavement types and features many bumps, teams can see if the IR-28’s setup needs different damping or spring settings than today’s cars—information they would use before the chassis debuts in 2028.

The immediate milestone to watch is the two-day test itself on 2026-10-12 and 2026-10-13; INDYCAR.com and participating teams are the primary sources likely to publish results or impressions after the sessions.

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