Overview
- The partners announced the change Friday, Aug. 21, 2026, saying the updated Shell 100% Renewable Race Fuel will be used by every IndyCar entry beginning in the 2027 season while the rest of 2026 races continue on the current formula.
- The new formula shifts a significant share of ethanol sourcing to a U.S. feedstock produced from the waste stream of a grain-mixture distilling process in Indiana and combines that ethanol with other renewable components.
- Shell says lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions for the updated blend fall at least 70% below the Renewable Fuel Standard average gasoline baseline based on supplier data and modeling cited by the company.
- IndyCar and engine manufacturers expect the fuel to meet existing performance and durability requirements for Honda and Chevrolet engines, and officials frame the change as a continuation of a long-running Shell partnership that uses racing to test technology.
- The move replaces much of the previous ethanol supply from Raízen in Brazil with domestic sourcing and is pitched as a local economic tie between Hoosier agriculture and the sport, building on IndyCar’s switch to Shell renewable fuel that began in 2023.