SPEED with Harvick and Buxton
SPEED with Harvick and Buxton

INDYCAR President Doug Boles: IR-28 Car 2028 Debut, Blue Flag Etiquette & INDYCAR growth

August 12, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

The Custodian's Balancing Act

When INDYCAR President Doug Boles talks about the new IR-28 car, he doesn't lead with horsepower numbers or lap time projections. He leads with a problem that has no obvious engineering fix: how do you design a car that can follow closely and pass cleanly? "Initially, when we first started talking, we said we need a car that follows well," Boles recalls. "That was really half the story. You need a car that follows well, but you need one that can also go past well." That distinction captures something essential about how Boles thinks about the sport he now oversees—he's always looking for the second half of the equation.

The Clean Sheet That Isn't

The IR-28 represents INDYCAR's first ground-up car design in years, but Boles is careful not to overstate how clean that sheet of paper really is. Open-wheel race cars, he explains, are constrained by physics. "If you're a newbie or don't understand it, they all sort of look the same," he says. "Part of that is because when you design a race car, that's really the way a car should look to get through the air."

Continue reading the full summary in the app — free to try.

Read Full Summary →

Free • No credit card required

Listen to Audio Summary Open in App

What you'll learn

  • 1 (01:58) **IR-28 Car Unveil & Testing** - Doug Boles describes the rollout of IndyCar’s new car, 18 months before it races in 2028
  • 2 (09:14) **Transition to IndyCar President** - Doug reflects on taking over the series 18 months ago and the balancing act of managing multiple constituencies
  • 3 (11:46) **Which Constituency Prevails?** - Doug reveals his north star when juggling competing interests among fans, teams, manufacturers, broadcasters, and Roger Penske
  • 4 (17:49) **Growth & TV Ratings** - Doug discusses IndyCar’s rising viewership (averaging 1.3 million per race on Fox, beating F1 in the US) and where the biggest growth opportunities lie
  • 5 (20:18) **International Expansion** - Doug shares IndyCar’s thinking on racing outside North America
  • 6 (23:42) **Oval Racing & NASCAR Collaboration** - Doug explains his passion for ovals and the close relationship between IndyCar and NASCAR
  • 7 (24:56) **Driver Development & Indy NXT** - Doug assesses the state of IndyCar’s feeder system and how young talent rises through the ranks

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Show Notes

INDYCAR President Doug Boles joins the show for a wide-ranging interview! Doug talks about the IR-28 car that INDYCAR plans to debut in 2028. He talks about jumping into the role of INDYCAR President in February, juggling all of his role and what he thinks will be the biggest changes for INDYCAR in the future & so much more.
Chapters:
0:00 Intro
0:40 INDYCAR President Doug Boles Joins The Show
1:00 INDYCAR Will Debut IR-28 Car in 2028
8:25 Transitioning To President of INDYCAR
10:30 How Do You Juggle All Of Your Responsibilities?
13:15 Penske Taking Ownership of Indianapolis Motor Speedway
16:25 Biggest Change For INDYCAR Moving Forward
18:55 Moving INDYCAR International?
23:55 Feeder System For INDYCAR
25:25 Costs Hindering Talent From Entering Driving
28:45 Blue Flag Etiquette
29:55 Outro

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

SPEED with Harvick and Buxton

More from this podcast

SPEED with Harvick and Buxton →