As a testament to Dallara’s longevity in INDYCAR, consider that its participation in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES began before four of this season’s race winners were born.
Dallara first constructed cars for INDYCAR for the 1996-97 season, winning with Jim Guthrie at Phoenix International Raceway in the third race of ’97. Dallara has won the past 248 INDYCAR SERIES races – 335 in all – and 16 consecutive Indianapolis 500s. It will field all 33 cars in Sunday’s Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge, and it will continue its role with the series at least through the 2026 season.
Through INDYCAR, Dallara Founder and President Giampaolo Dallara said his company has been able to show global motorsports what it can achieve, and when the opportunity to extend its contract with INDYCAR, Dallara said “it was an easy decision to make.”
“We have never won a race as important as the Indy 500, and when (you do) you know you can do things properly in the rest of the world, too,” he said. “That’s why we are extremely proud of what we have been doing in these 24 years in the U.S.”
Dallara said INDYCAR has been “phenomenal in engaging fans and stakeholders” while continuously working to improve the competition, managing two engine manufacturers and attracting young drivers from around the world. INDYCAR’s five race winners this season represent Spain, the U.S., New Zealand, Mexico and the Netherlands, and interest is particularly high in Sweden due to the participation of Felix Rosenqvist and Marcus Ericsson. The arrival of F1 veteran Romain Grosjean, a Swiss-born Frenchman, has added to the international flair.
“The series provides a fantastic racing experience, keeping budgets and costs under control,” Dallara said. “Enlarging the number of drivers from every part of the world is really fantastic.
“The technology department of INDYCAR asks for costs and results and timing (of delivery), and they check what we do, but it’s very easy to work with them. They know what they want, which for us makes it much easier to find the target. We know where we have to arrive.”
Dallara will celebrate its 50th year racing in 2022, and it employs an estimated 700 people at its Italian headquarters in Dallara’s hometown, Varano de Melegari, a village southwest of Parma. Forty-two people work in Speedway, Indiana.
On any given weekend, approximately 300 Dallara cars run on tracks around the world in various formulas. The Italian side of the company works closely with the Haas F1 Team and participates in all Formula 3 championships, FIA Formula 2, Formula 3 and Super Formula. It also makes cars for the World Endurance Championship and the European Le Mans Series.
In the U.S., Dallara has expanded beyond the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, with cars now competing in Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires and two divisions of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (Daytona Prototype and GT). Through its sports car association with Cadillac, Dallara has won four recent overall Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona and two IMSA season championships. Dallara also designed NASCAR’s Next Gen (Gen-7) chassis, is involved with aerospace companies and utilizes its simulator for numerous automotive projects.
In recent years, the various entities within the company have become further intertwined, with people from each location traveling to the other to share ideas and work on development. Dallara participates in a master’s-level engineering program, educating 150 students per year, with some working in Indianapolis.
In addition, Dallara has afforded high school students of both communities to visit the other, creating a cultural exchange experience that transcends business.
“It has increased the relationship between our village and Speedway, and this is something that makes me very, very happy,” Dallara said. “It’s not only the business activities; it’s much more than business. It is personal for me to (foster) these relationships.
“Partnering with INDYCAR and Indianapolis has been one of the best decisions we’ve ever made.”