Trying to find ways to lighten up the DW12, its engines or gearboxes and transfer some of the weight forward are the current objectives.

“We need to increase the feel on the front end of the car,” said Phillips, a respected race engineer in open wheel and sports cars before joining INDYCAR last winter.

“The short ovals and road courses haven’t been the problem. After the first manufacturers test at Mid-Ohio, we were damn sure the new car would be quicker next year and Dan had a good test at Iowa.

“The concern is the high-speed oval.”

Phillips praised all fronts on trying to do whatever it takes ASAP, since the new cars are set to be delivered in less than six weeks.

“The positive thing is that everybody is pulling together and nobody is pointing fingers,” he continued. “The engine manufacturers are looking at ways to help, Xtrac is re-tooling some pattern work to get [its gearbox] lighter and Dallara is making extra bits for next week’s test.

“Dallara also invited the engine manufacturers to send drivers over and use the IndyCar Simulator at no cost. The good thing is that they can change the weight distribution on the simulator to verify what happened here last week.”

The weather won’t allow for any more IMS tests this year but INDYCAR plans to stage its own at Fontana and Homestead after the current changes and brainstorming are completed.

“It’s a new car and a new engine and not without its challenges,” said Phillips. “But we’ll get things squared away.”

Look for an in-depth story from Marshall Pruett next week on the technical side of what INDYCAR and Dallara are doing to fix the Speedway problems with the DW12.

Robin Miller brings 40 years of experience to his role as SPEED.com's senior open-wheel reporter, and serves as a frequent contributor to SPEED Center and Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain.