Courtesy of INDYCAR

INDIANAPOLIS – INDYCAR will have an independent officiating system in place for the 2026 NTT IndyCar Series and INDY NXT by Firestone seasons. A new independent, not-for-profit organization _ INDYCAR Officiating Inc. _ has been established and 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. 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).

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 be responsible for enforcing the NTT IndyCar Series and INDY NXT rulebooks as written by INDYCAR.

“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,” said Mark Miles, Penske Entertainment Corp. president/CEO. “They will work independently to hire the right person to carry this mission forward and provide successful implementation for the 2026 seasons.”

Ray Evernham. (Photo courtesy of NASCAR)

The two IOB members selected via a vote from chartered team-owners are:

– Ray Evernham – Longtime motorsports industry operative who, most notably, served as crew chief for three of Jeff Gordon’s four NASCAR Cup Series championships at Hendrick Motorsports. Evernham also 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, Nair has vast experience and technical compliance expertise as an executive at Singer Group, Inc.; Multimatic, Inc. and Ford Motor Company, where he also served as North American president from 2017-18. As 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 – His resume documents over 50 years of global motorsport experience as a senior official, promoter, organizer and competitor. With the FIA, Morgan served as 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 also is 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.

“We have remained committed to independent officiating for 2026, and we are pleased to announce this next step,” said J. Douglas Boles, INDYCAR president. “The INDYCAR team-owners and the FIA have selected a world-class board with high character, incredible knowledge and an intense passion for motorsports and INDYCAR racing.”

Chip Ganassi. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/NASCAR via Getty Images)

Speaking on behalf of team-owners, Chip Ganassi said he was confident in the protocol that elected the independent officiating board. “This was a thorough process,” said Ganassi, whose Chip Ganassi Racing organization is home to four-time/reigning INDYCAR champion Alex Palou of Spain. “I look forward to their guidance as they take the next step of hiring a managing director.”

Hiring of the managing director of officiating, along with additional details, will be announced in early 2026.

Meanwhile, FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem termed INDYCAR as “an American icon.”

“I am proud of the relationship we are building together,” Ben Sulayem said. “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.”

Similarly, TWG Motorsports CEO Dan Towriss endorsed INDYCAR’s decision to adopt and implement independent officiating. “The team-owners have selected two excellent board members,” Towriss said, “and the addition of an FIA appointee will add another layer of experience and expertise.”

The 2026 NTT IndyCar Series and INDY NXT championships are scheduled to begin Sunday, March 1, on the Streets of St. Petersburg, Fla. Coverage of the 17-race seasons will be provided by FOX, FOX Sports and the INDYCAR Radio Network.

A contingent of NTT IndyCar Series drivers are planning to compete in the 64th Rolex 24 At Daytona from Jan. 22-25, 2026. The traditional International MotorSports Association season-opener will be contested on Daytona International Speedway’s famed “roval” layout.

INDYCAR’s Rolex 24 roster includes five of seven race-winners from the series in 2025. Series champions Alex Palou of Spain, Scott Dixon of New Zealand, Will Power of Australia and Sébastien Bourdais of France will each chase new jewelry at DIS. Collectively, they have earned 16 series titles, including the past six.

Palou, the four-time/reigning series champion with three consecutive titles, will drive the No. 93 Acura ARX-06 for Meyer Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian. Dixon, who is Palou’s Chip Ganassi Racing teammate, will drive the team’s No. 60 entry. Both aces figure to be contenders for the overall win, an honor INDYCAR drivers have claimed in five of the last six Rolex 24s.

At the moment, Palou and Dixon are the only full-time NTT IndyCar Series drivers competing in the GTP class. Colton Herta _ who exited INDYCAR after seven full-time seasons to become a reserve driver for the new Cadillac F1 Team and race in FIA Formula 2 _ will share the No. 40 Cadillac for Wayne Taylor Racing.

The entry list features 11 Grand Touring Prototypes (GTP), 14 Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2), 15 Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD PRO) and 21 Grand Touring Daytona (GTD) machines.

In LMP2, Bourdais and Chip Ganassi Racing’s Kyffin Simpson of the Cayman Islands will share the No. 8 Tower Motorsports ORECA 07. Bourdais, like Palou, is a four-time INDYCAR champion and the most recent driver to capture four consecutive titles (2004-2007). January will mark “Seb’s” 17th Rolex 24 start. Simpson last raced in IMSA in 2024 and previously competed with Tower in 2023, running the Michelin Endurance Cup and winning the 12 Hours of Sebring in Florida.

Andretti Global also will have all three of its NTT IndyCar Series drivers in action for the twice-around-the-clock classic.

Kyle Kirkwood, who earned three of his five career INDYCAR wins last season, returns to the GTD PRO category in the No. 14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus. Andretti Global newcomer Power – formerly of Team Penske _ will make his Rolex 24 debut in the class with the 75 Express team. Marcus Ericsson will drive the No. 45 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 for Wayne Taylor Racing in GTD _ the Swede’s third start in the event. Ericsson is a four-time INDYCAR race-winner, including the 2022 Indianapolis 500.

The initial entry list also features INDY NXT by Firestone regular Enzo Fittipaldi, of Brazilian-American descent, and James Roe of Ireland _ both competing in LMP2. Fittipaldi will share the No. 73 Pratt Miller Motorsports entry with his brother, Pietro, while Roe will drive the No. 18 machine for Era Motorsport.

Additionally, Christian Rasmussen of Denmark will compete in LMP2, driving the No. 99 entry for AO Racing. A number of active INDYCAR and INDY NXT by Firestone drivers are expected to be added to the Rolex 24 entry list in the near future.

Among the full-time NTT IndyCar Series teams competing in sports cars at DIS are Team Penske (GTP), Meyer Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian (GTP) and Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing with Arrow McLaren (GTD PRO). Andretti Global is part of TWG Motorsports, which includes Wayne Taylor Racing, so technically both the GTP and GTD entries from WTR also fall under the Andretti umbrella.