Grand Prix

IndyCar Names FIA Appointee And Motorsport Veterans To Lead New Officiating Board

Ahead of the 2026 IndyCar Season, the three-member Independent Officiating Board has been named to guide race control and rule enforcement for the NTT IndyCar and IndyNXT Series.
Kaitlin Tucci|
NTT IndyCar Series driver Alex Palou holds his second place trophy after the Music City Grand Prix at the Nashville Superspeedway in Lebanon, Tenn., Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025.
NTT IndyCar Series driver Alex Palou holds his second place trophy after the Music City Grand Prix at the Nashville Superspeedway in Lebanon, Tenn., Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025. | Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Changes to the IndyCar officiating system have been officially confirmed for the 2026 season and beyond with the creation of a not-for-profit, independent, officiating board to oversee all rule enforcement, technical inspections, and race control decisions.

Prior to this new model, IndyCar and Penske Entertainment operated these functions internally, with race control and stewards reporting directly to series management, a system that has been criticized for 'bias' and perceived 'conflicts of interest'.

Thus, the creation of IndyCar Officiating Inc., which will be governed by a 3-person Independent Officiating Board (IOB) and its yet-to-be-confirmed Managing Director of Officiating (MDO).

IndyCar's Officiating Board Consists of Members with Decades of Motorsport Experience Across Series

The selection process of the IOB members was set to tap team owners from charter-holding teams within IndyCar, and in a shock to many motorsport fans, the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA).

Mohammed Ben Sulayem
Mohammed Ben Sulayem | IMAGO / Marco Canoniero

Mohammed Ben Sulayem, President of the FIA, commented that he was proud of IndyCar's willingness to continue "building a relationship together" with the FIA.

"IndyCar is an American icon. The FIA’s independent expertise in delivering consistent officiating oversight across our World Championships, combined with INDYCAR’s innovation and competitive spirit, will support the continued growth of the series. I look forward to the work ahead of us."
Mohammed Ben Sulayem, President, FIA

Chartered team owners selected two members of the IOB - Ray Everham and Raj Nair. While the FIA selected the third member, Ronan Morgan. Together, these three men represent programs from NASCAR, IMSA, FIA WEC, Formula 1, SuperCars, and Rally.

  • Ray Evernham – Served as the crew chief for three of Jeff Gordon’s NASCAR Cup Series championships. Pioneered Dodge’s return to NASCAR as owner of Evernham Motorsports before later becoming a television analyst, producer, and consultant.
  • Raj Nair – A 30-year veteran of the automotive and auto racing industries as an executive at Singer Group, Inc., Multimatic, Inc. and the Ford Motor Company. As the chief technical officer and executive vice president of Ford’s global product development (2012-17), Nair was responsible for all Ford Motorsports programs, including in NASCAR, IMSA and FIA WEC.
  • Ronan Morgan – Over 50 years of global motorsport experience. Morgan served as the chairman of stewards for more than 100 international race and rally events, including sporting manager of the F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix from 2009 to 2021. He is president of the FIA Drivers Commission, member of the FIA World Motor Sport Council, and advisor to the FIA President.

The board itself will have two roles: establishing a budget for each season and selecting the Managing Director of Officiating (MDO). This MDO will be the 'boots on the ground' representation for the IOB with no oversight from IndyCar or Penske Entertainment stakeholders.

Pato O'Ward Arrow McLaren IndyCar
NTT IndyCar Series driver Pato O'Ward | Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The MDO will then be "charged with full officiating oversight," according to the IndyCar Press Release. This will include he hiring of personnel for race control, IndyCar technical inspection, and will be responsible for enforcing the IndyCar and IndyNXT rulebooks.

IndyCar stakeholder and FIA Officials have expressed support for this choice - including Dan Towriss, CEO of TWG Motorsports, member of Andretti Leadership, and Cadillac F1 Boss.

"I am pleased with the direction INDYCAR is taking with independent officiating. The team owners have selected two excellent board members and the addition of a FIA appointee will add another layer of experience and expertise."
Dan Towriss, CEO of TWG Motorsports.

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Kaitlin Tucci
KAITLIN TUCCI

Kaitlin Tucci has been a fan of motorsport for close to a decade. Before joining On SI in 2025, she contributed heavily to the marketing and media efforts at FanAmp, a motorsports startup for which she was the Head of Marketing. She has contributed to a number of publications covering series such as Formula 1, IndyCar, IMSA, and more... Kaitlin graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with both a degree in Business/Marketing and Political Science. She works full time as a marketer at high-growth tech startups while spending her weekends immersed in the world of racing. Kaitlin was raised in Las Vegas, Nevada, but has lived in New York City for the past 5 years with her 'giant chihuahua' Willow. You'll often catch Willow watching races alongside Kaitlin, but unfortunately she doesn't have enough airline miles to join her at the track just yet.

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