Dominic Coffey and Andrea Bongiovanni of Dallara were named May 15 the recipient of the 2026 Louis Schwitzer Award for their design and development of the superspeedway rear tire ramp flaps used on NTT INDYCAR SERIES cars at the Indianapolis Moor Speedway.

Dallara designer Coffey and senior aerodynamicist Bongiovanni worked with INDYCAR to create the carbon-fiber flaps (photo, above) connected to the aerodynamic “ramps” located directly in front of the rear tires. The flaps are a continuation of the effort to increase aerodynamic stability of cars and deploy – rising from the aft area of the flap – to disrupt air flow “lift” during a spin.

“Thanks to everybody on the Louis Schwitzer Award committee,” Coffey said. “The project that we worked on originated in the last couple of years. We worked on several different projects to keep the car from becoming unstable at 135- or 180-degree spin conditions. Dallara is always pursuing trying to increase that safety and trying to increase the stability of the car when it gets to spin conditions.”

The flaps made their debut at the Indianapolis 500 Open Test on April 28-29 and are mandatory on all cars this month on the 2.5-mile IMS oval.

Coffey said he and Bongiovanni created and tested several designs before the final product. The original designs focused on flaps on the car’s diffuser before computerized analysis showed more effectiveness with the tire ramp design.

Bongiovanni, based in Italy, and Coffey shared a $10,000 prize from the Indiana Section of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) International and award sponsors Allison Transmission and Valvoline Global.

This award is a prestigious accolade in the automotive engineering industry, celebrating and recognizing groundbreaking innovations that push the boundaries of automotive technology. Named after Louis Schwitzer, an accomplished engineer and race car driver, this award has a rich history of honoring individuals and teams behind the innovative concepts introduced to the motorsport industry that increase competitive potential, meet NTT INDYCAR SERIES specifications and are related to the vehicle's engine, powertrain, profile, chassis or safety.

Schwitzer won the first automobile race at IMS, a 5-mile event Aug. 19, 1909.