INDYCAR: Top 10 Stories Of 2012

Marshall Pruett tears through a packed season of IndyCar stories and themes to pick his Top 10 and assembles an amusing list of honorable mentions.

Marshall Pruett | Posted December 28, 2012

6: New Car, New Engines Deliver

It isn’t pretty, handled like a hearse when it was first introduced and the cost-capped engine formula doesn’t generate enough power, but the Dallara DW12 chassis and the 2.2-liter turbocharged engines still delivered in 2012. Big time.

The looks improved slightly when the series introduced the low-drag ‘Cadillac’ rear wheel guards for the big ovals, teams made the most of the rearward weight bias problem and the three engine manufacturers delivered more power through a steady stream of updates, which all helped to improve IndyCar’s on-track product.

The chassis and everything behind the engines were extremely dependable, while Chevy, Honda and Lotus spent the season searching for levels of reliability that were always just out of reach.

Going forward, the quality of racing would likely improve with a wholesale reduction in downforce at every track, but altogether, the engine manufacturers, Dallara, and the majority of its suppliers deserve a lot of credit for the caliber of racing that was on display.