The NTT INDYCAR SERIES and Indianapolis Motor Speedway announced on Thursday that following the Greatest Spectacle In Racing next weekend that the INDYCAR Technical Inspection hauler will be pulled by a natural gas-powered tractor unit called the Shell Starship 3.0.
Shell Starship 3.0 will serve as the new transporter for INDYCAR’s Pennzoil Tech Inspection Trailer for the remainder of the 2025 season. Its debut marks a major milestone in Penske Entertainment’s long-term sustainability strategy, which includes investments in onsite recycling infrastructure for glass and polystyrene diversion programs at IMS and a recently launched emissions tracking platform for INDYCAR, in partnership with NTT DATA.
Shell Starship 3.0 is powered by a Cummins X15N™ natural gas engine – making it the first natural gas-powered Class 8 truck operating within a national motorsports fleet in North America. It will haul INDYCAR’s Pennzoil Tech Inspection Trailer starting with the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear on June 1.
Thomas Mueller, general manager of Commercial Road Transport at Shell said:
“Integrating Shell Starship into INDYCAR’s operations is an exciting next step in demonstrating how cutting-edge technologies can support real-world logistics while helping reduce carbon emissions. “This is innovation in motion, and we look forward to seeing how the Starship performs in a practical application in demanding environments.”
Natural gas-powered engines, like the Cummins X15N, emit less CO₂ than traditional diesel counterparts and can run on renewable natural gas (RNG), a fuel derived from organic waste that’s interchangeable with CNG and LNG. In some applications, RNG can even deliver a negative carbon intensity score compared to fossil fuels on a life cycle basis, depending on feedstocks[1],making it a powerful tool for decarbonizing transport.
Also announced today was new emissions tracking software from NTT DATA, the Official Technology Partner of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. Developed in partnership with Penske, this AI-powered emissions management platform will provide INDYCAR and its partners with data-driven insights into the carbon footprint of race operations and logistics throughout the season.
The cutting-edge system streamlines carbon accounting – the process of calculating greenhouse gas emissions – by collecting, standardizing and transforming diverse activity data into real-time dashboards and custom reports, offering actionable insights into the size, composition and overall health of emissions data.
David Costa, Chief Sustainability, Business Officer with NTT DATA, says:
“As a global leader in digital business and technology services, NTT DATA is proud to support INDYCAR and its partner in their sustainability journey,” said David Costa, chief sustainability, business officer, NTT DATA, Inc. “Our software platform is empowering INDYCAR with comprehensive emissions tracking and reporting capabilities, seamlessly integrating data from operational activities and vendor partnerships. By streamlining the data collection process, we’re enabling INDYCAR to make informed, data-driven decisions that contribute to a reduced environmental footprint.”