The latest IndyCar season was unlike anything I’ve witnessed. To start, a ridiculous number of passes, 7,753 in total, was recorded across 17 races. The front row for the Indianapolis 500 produced the fastest trio in the sport’s history, with an average speed of 234.180 mph; and the top two qualifiers were the closest in 107 editions of the race, with just 0.0040 seconds separating the 10-mile run between the pole winner and second place.
Television ratings and attendance figures were up, and the series had more full-season cars on the grid — at least 27 — than at any other point in its history, which spoke to IndyCar’s growth. And in between the positives, wild things, ranging from troubling to hilarious, kept the series and its fans alight with interesting developments to follow.
In most years, the on-track months are busy with all the expected actions and storylines, but once the final lap is turned, a period of relative calm washes over the paddock as mental and physical batteries are recharged during the October-February offseason. In 2023, that notion of having an offseason was shattered. Here’s a look back at all the major events this past season, month by month.
December 2022
• A pair of critical decisions would influence the entirety of the 2023 season and give the series a proper “Groundhog Day” moment 12 months later. The first was IndyCar’s cancelling of the new 2.4-liter twin-turbo V-6 engine formula it unveiled in 2018 that was meant to go live in 2023.
• The new formula was intended to replace the aged 2.2-liter twin-turbo V-6 engines that barked to life in 2012. Chevrolet and Honda, the series’ two engine suppliers, invested large sums into designing, building and testing the new 2.4-liter motors with the full anticipation of racing with those engines in 2023.
• The second keystone decision was related, and involved the series’ planned shift into hybrid engines, which was ratified in 2019 as part of the new 2.4-liter package due in 2023.
• Having dealt with repeated deadline and delivery failures by its chosen energy recovery system vendor, IndyCar would be unable to go hybrid as scheduled. IndyCar would not have new engines and would not join Formula One, IMSA and other series as a…
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