This week, IndyCar officially unveiled its long-awaited new chassis, known as the IR-28, and while the photos were great, it was nice that we didn’t have to wait long to get a taste of it in the flesh (carbon fiber?).

That’s because two days of running were scheduled for this weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s 2.439-mile road course layout with Ed Carpenter Racing’s Alexander Rossi jumping in the cockpit Saturday.

There’s a lot of work to be done before the IR-28 and its accompanying refreshed engines from Chevrolet and Honda hit the series in 2028, but Rossi said after spending Saturday in the car that he was impressed by the preparation that went into getting it ready for a shakedown.

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“I’ve been a part of some new car launches before, and I can’t say that any have gone as smooth as this one has,” Rossi said, per IndyCar.com. “That’s down to everyone involved. We’ve all been waiting for this for a long time. Drivers, fans, teams, sponsors and all of you have been looking forward to it, and now it’s finally here.

“It’s like Christmas morning.”

Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t super cooperative, and that limited some of Rossi’s track time, but he still got a taste for some of the difference coming the series’ way in about a year and a half.

“It’s hard to do a full comparison because of the conditions we were dealing with, but everything you could hope for from a day like today was accomplished,” he said. “The fact that the car is completely new and the only real issue we had was replacing one sensor is phenomenal. That’s a huge testament to Dallara, IndyCar and everyone involved.

“The car has a lot of incredible qualities that we haven’t even scratched the surface of yet. It was an incredible start and just a joy to drive.”

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The IR-28 is IndyCar’s first new car since the DW12 — which is still in use — debuted in 2012, and that makes it the first to be designed with the Aeroscreen and hybrid system in mind.

It’s expected to weigh around 100 pounds less than the current car, and after the early returns from Rossi, drivers will be eager to get their hands on it.

The next driver to get a feel for it is reigning series champ Alex Palou of Chip Ganassi Racing, who will test it on the IMS road course on Sunday.