Dallara DW12

The Dallara DW12 (formally named the Dallara IR-12) is an open-wheel formula racing car developed and produced by Italian manufacturer Dallara for use by the teams in the IndyCar Series. The DW12 was first used in the 2012 IndyCar Series season, replacing the nine-year-old Dallara IR-05 chassis. It is to be replaced by the planned Dallara IR-28, whose arrival has been pushed from 2027 to 2028 by engine-production delays, supply chain delays and financial problems. Under a deal negotiated by the IndyCar organization, each chassis costs $349,000. Since 2015, Honda and Chevrolet have offered alternatives to the Dallara aerodynamic kit. No IndyCar chassis has been used for a longer period of time. The DW12 added safety features such as a partial enclosure around the rear wheels and a redesigned front section intended to prevent single-seater crashes such as the one that killed Dan Wheldon, the chassis' test driver and namesake. Wheldon was killed at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on October 16, 2011, the final race of the previous IR-05. The nomenclature recalls that of the old Formula One team Ligier, whose cars were labeled JSxx after French F1 driver Jo Schlesser, who died in the 1968 French Grand Prix.