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IndyCar said today it will have an independent officiating system presiding over the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES and INDY NXT by Firestone. The not-for-profit organization, IndyCar Officiating Inc., will be governed by a three-person Independent Officiating Board (IOB). This board will select a Managing Director of Officiating (MDO) and establish its annual budget.
“We are excited to launch this new structure of IndyCar officiating and know the officiating board will approach this charge with diligence and a sense of shared responsibility. They will work independently to hire the right person to carry this mission forward and provide successful implementation for the 2026 seasons,” said Mark Miles, Penske Entertainment Corp. President and CEO. [Roger Penske owns the IndyCar Series and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Read AutoInformed.com on: IndyCar – Penske Fires Senior Leadership Team – AutoCrat.]*
“The board members were independently selected this week, with two members chosen via a vote from IndyCar team owners, who are charter members, and the other member appointed by the Federation Internationale de I’Automobile (FIA),” IndyCar said in a release.
“The managing director will report directly to the independent board with no oversight from INDYCAR or Penske Entertainment officials. This individual will be charged with full officiating oversight – including the hiring of personnel for race control and INDYCAR technical inspection – and responsible for enforcing the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and INDY NXT rulebooks as written by IndyCar,” IndyCar claimed.
The two IOB members selected via a vote from chartered team owners are:
- Ray Evernham: A motorsports veteran who served as the crew chief for three of Jeff Gordon’s NASCAR Cup Series championships. Evernham also pioneered Dodge’s return to NASCAR as owner of Evernham Motorsports before later becoming a television analyst, producer and consultant.
- Raj Nair: Nair has experience and technical compliance expertise as an executive at Singer Group, Inc., Multimatic, Inc. and the Ford Motor Company, where he also served as the North American president from 2017-18. 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.
The third member of the IOB appointed by the FIA is:
- Ronan Morgan: He has more than 50 years of global motorsport experience as a senior official, promoter, organizer and competitor. With the FIA, Morgan served as the chairman of stewards for more than 100 international race and rally events, was sporting manager of the Abu Dhabi Formula 1 Grand Prix from 2009 to 2021 and is president of the FIA Drivers Commission. Morgan is also a member of the FIA World Motor Sport Council and advisor to the FIA President. [The FIA’s role in INDYCAR’s independent officiating system will be limited to the appointment of its board member. – AutoCrat]
“This was a thorough process, and I am confident in the independent officiating board that has been elected by the team ownership in our sport. I look forward to their guidance as they take the next step of hiring a managing director,” said Chip Ganassi, owner of Chip Ganassi Racing.
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About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
IndyCar Cheating – New Independent Officiating for 2026 Series
Click for more.
IndyCar said today it will have an independent officiating system presiding over the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES and INDY NXT by Firestone. The not-for-profit organization, IndyCar Officiating Inc., will be governed by a three-person Independent Officiating Board (IOB). This board will select a Managing Director of Officiating (MDO) and establish its annual budget.
“We are excited to launch this new structure of IndyCar officiating and know the officiating board will approach this charge with diligence and a sense of shared responsibility. They will work independently to hire the right person to carry this mission forward and provide successful implementation for the 2026 seasons,” said Mark Miles, Penske Entertainment Corp. President and CEO. [Roger Penske owns the IndyCar Series and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Read AutoInformed.com on: IndyCar – Penske Fires Senior Leadership Team – AutoCrat.]*
“The board members were independently selected this week, with two members chosen via a vote from IndyCar team owners, who are charter members, and the other member appointed by the Federation Internationale de I’Automobile (FIA),” IndyCar said in a release.
“The managing director will report directly to the independent board with no oversight from INDYCAR or Penske Entertainment officials. This individual will be charged with full officiating oversight – including the hiring of personnel for race control and INDYCAR technical inspection – and responsible for enforcing the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and INDY NXT rulebooks as written by IndyCar,” IndyCar claimed.
The two IOB members selected via a vote from chartered team owners are:
The third member of the IOB appointed by the FIA is:
“This was a thorough process, and I am confident in the independent officiating board that has been elected by the team ownership in our sport. I look forward to their guidance as they take the next step of hiring a managing director,” said Chip Ganassi, owner of Chip Ganassi Racing.
*AutoInformed on
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn. He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe. Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap. AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks. Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.