Last week was about as big as it gets for the NTT IndyCar Series, so much so that it made a significant impact on the future of this sport. Honda and Chevy both signed long-term agreements to continue supplying engines to the series. This includes 2026, which is the final year of the current agreement; a bridge year of 2027, which will continue the same chassis and 2.2-liter engine package – and then 2028 and beyond, where the new chassis and new 2.4-liter engine hit the track in competition.
We had some notice a few days earlier that this was going to happen, but in all honesty – I feel like the reaction to this from fans has been a little understated. I don’t know if it’s because it was announced in the same week that almost all cars hit the track at Sebring for two days of testing, along with the official confirmation that Romain Grosjean would be returning to Dale Coyne Racing for the full season – but in my opinion, this story far overshadowed anything else that has happened in the past week and maybe even the past year. Yet fans seem to be treating it with sort of a ho-hum approach.
I don’t think it’s possible to overstate how the future of IndyCar would have been dramatically changed had the two manufacturers not been signed and moved away from the series.
This all started in late 2023, when Honda made it known that they were reviewing all aspects of their current relationship with IndyCar. They also made it clear that there would have to be some changes made in the sport in order for them to stay.
Some seem to think that Honda was the only manufacturer in play here. But had Honda left, Chevy had no interest in staying either. It would have been a massive undertaking for them to supply the entire field. Unlike 2006 to 2011 when Honda was the sole engine provider to the series, they had identical engines built by Ilmor and HPD. Ilmor is currently building all of the Chevy engines. They have no interest in doubling their production, only to have no competition. Most OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) are in racing to win, not to merely exist. Chevy did not want to simply exist. For the record, Honda was not keen on being the sole engine provider twenty years ago. They ran Chevy and Toyota out of the sport by totally dominating in 2004 and 2005. But they didn’t anticipate doing it all for six straight seasons. Chevy didn’t want that to happen to them. If Honda was out after this year, they would probably follow suit.Ho H H
For all of the 2024-25 seasons, that was the big question – would Honda stay or would they leave?
Maybe I’m an optimist, or maybe it was just wishful thinking. While many I talked to in the IndyCar media centers I talked to were convinced that Honda was gone after 2026, I wasn’t so sure. I’ve never hidden my partiality to Honda over the years. Not only did they prop the series up in those six seasons as the sole engine provider – but I’ve always been a fan of Honda automobiles.
Since 1981, there has always been at least one Honda sitting in my driveway – and sometimes two. The only exception was a time almost twenty years ago, when my 2002 Honda CR-V was showing signs things were about to go south on it. I needed a new car, but was going through some tough financial times and the Honda I wanted was just too expensive. I opted for a Nashville-built Nissan Altima, since Nissan had recently moved its North American headquarters from LA to Nashville. It was one of the worst cars I’ve ever owned. I knew I had made a huge mistake less than a week after driving it off the dealership parking lot. After three years of driving that sled, I went back to a Honda and never looked back. I currently drive a 2022 Honda Insight. I have put over 114,000 miles on it and it has not given me one minute of trouble (knock on wood). So my loyalty to Honda for 45 years (minus those three where I strayed) is why I may have been guilty of wishful thinking.
As we were leaving the track after the 2025 season-finale at Nashville; we ran into a friend of our who had recently retired from Honda. I asked him what his gut feeling was on the chances of Honda staying. He said he thought it was better than 50-50, which was better than most people were saying. He was pretty sure that they were not going to NASCAR in 2027, as many people were speculating. But he said he was somewhat out of the loop now, so he was only guessing like everybody else.
Fortunately, his gut was correct. I don’t think it can be over-emphasized how damaging it would have been to our sport, had things gone the other way. Would IndyCar survive it? Probably, but it would have been a rough road for team owners, fans and the series as a whole.
I also don’t think that Doug Boles can be given enough credit for turning this situation around in less than a year’s time on the job. It was February 10, 2025; when it was announced that Doug Boles would assume the duties of IndyCar President in addition to his already busy role as President of IMS. The Honda/Chevy deal had already signed off on, when it was officially announced in a press-release from IndyCar on Feb 12 last week. Whenever Boles steps out of his collection of suits and is in his rocking chair, this may be looked back on as his biggest professional accomplishment – the day he saved IndyCar.
Don’t overlook the involvement of FOX in this deal. They are entering their second year of broadcasting the series, and their first full season as a 30% stakeholder in the series. It was in their best interest to retain Honda and Chevy, so their influence in these discussions were major.
Of the many solutions come up with by all parties involved, probably the most creative is that Honda and Chevy both were given one charter each, just like the team owners for however many cars they were running when the charters were originally awarded in September of 2024. Now the manufacturers were more than just partners who contributed money and marketing for the series. They now had skin in the game and a voice in everything going forward. It would be in their best interest to raise the value of their respective charters.
Also part of that deal is the allowance of each manufacturer to provide direct factory support one car; beginning in 2028. That can be used on a third car for a two-car team, but a three-car team is not eligible. Honda has unofficially said that their factory team will be Meyer Shank Racing, who has a technical partnership with Chip Ganassi Racing. Does that mean there will be a third fulltime MSR car, or they will adopt one of their existing entries? I’m not sure how that will work.
If I had to guess I would think the Chevy works team would be AJ Foyt Racing, who also has a technical alliance with Team Penske. I would have the same questions about how that would work.
I’m not sure if the credit is shared, or if one person or entity was the driving force to get this deal done. But I think IndyCar fans owe a tremendous amount of gratitude to Doug Boles, Honda, Chevy and FOX. There may have been significant contributions from others, but I think these four parties collaborated tirelessly over the past year and kept the best interest of the sport at the forefront. That focus has paid off.
Now that the biggest problem facing IndyCar has had a happy ending, the attention can be turned to trying to find a third manufacturer to join Chevy and Honda. I am also very thankful that this was announced in February, without a cloud building over the start of the season. Now we can all focus on racing and the normal things we banmter about during the season. This is a win-win for all concerned.
George Phillips
Oilpressure 