IndyCar 2012 project manager Tony Cotman says that computer simulations show that IndyCar's new car with turbocharged engines can be 15mph quicker on road and street circuits. The expected speed increase on oval tracks has yet to be determined, he said.

"It'll be as much as we want," Cotman told the Indianapolis Star, adding that the car can achieve IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard's stated aim of chasing speed records at all tracks – including Indianapolis, where the track record stands at 237.498mph – with the new Dallara. Speeds will be regulated by the amount of horsepower permitted to the 2.2-liter V6 engines supplied by Honda, Chevrolet and Lotus.

Cotman also indicated that the "airbox" above the driver's head on the new car should be more properly referred to as "a 'turbo inlet,' since that is its function." The airbox has drawn fire from some fans who associate it with the normally aspirated engines used in the current generation of IndyCar Dallaras.