“The Delta Wing unveiling at the Chicago Auto Show was a pretty remarkable event for the IZOD IndyCar Series.  From the standpoint of which direction we will take in the future, having spent my entire professional career in the automotive industry, becoming relevant again to car manufacturers is a big key that I like about the Delta Wing project.  Having the components of the new chassis become lighter, have less drag, and focus on production based fuel-efficient engines, makes a lot of sense to auto makers since fuel economy, fuel efficiency and light weight products are what is being produced around the world these days.  The direction that Delta Wing has taken with becoming relevant, not only with car manufacturers, but with aerospace companies, is an exciting stance and really gets back to the roots of what the Indianapolis 500 was based on as well as the roots of innovation. 

Another aspect that makes the Delta Wing project appealing is the ‘open source’ approach.  It is an exciting way to position the building of a chassis where everybody that has a computer can go online and see the exact details of how a car is built and what the parts are as well as the specs for the those parts.  You can get students from Rose-Hulman, Purdue, or any engineering school in the country to submit a design, a new design, or a better design for that component.  Again, that comes back to the word relevant, not only with what’s happening in the car and aerospace industries, but with education, which ties into the new development of the chassis. 

One last thing that is unique about Delta Wing is the cost effectiveness of the car, which is a substantial benefit to the delta wing project.  Reducing the cost on a per-car basis is paramount to our series.  I believe if we are able to reduce the cost significantly enough, other competitors will have the opportunity to re-enter the IZOD IndyCar Series and our fields will grow.  Obviously, that is something that would bring more excitement back to the track.  It would be nice to get back to 50 plus cars qualifying for the Indy 500 and I believe the way the Delta Wing project is structured that would be a very strong possibility.”