IndyCar and its feeder Indy NXT will have a standalone officiating system from 2026, governed by a three-person board.

Ray Evernham and Raj Nair were selected via a vote from IndyCar team owners and the other member, Ronan Morgan, was appointed by the FIA.

A managing director of officiating will be selected in due course.

In a statement, IndyCar said: “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 IndyCar Series and Indy NXT rulebooks as written by IndyCar.”

Evernham was the crew chief for three of Jeff Gordon’s NASCAR Cup Series titles and was key to bringing Dodge back to NASCAR in the early 2000s.

Nair is another high-profile appointment, with more than three decades in the automotive sector and motor racing industry. Nair was a staple of Ford, working on its NASCAR, IMSA, and WEC programs.

Morgan has half a century of motorsport experience as an official, promoter, organiser, and competitor.

Morgan was the sporting manager of the Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix for more than a decade, is the president of the FIA Drivers Commission, is a member of the FIA World Motor Sport Council, and an advisor to the FIA President.

“We have remained committed to independent officiating for 2026, and we are pleased to announce this next step,” said IndyCar president Douglas Boles.

“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.”

Penske Entertainment Corporation CEO and president Mark Miles hailed the establishment of the independent officiating body.

“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 Miles.

“They will work independently to hire the right person to carry this mission forward and provide successful implementation for the 2026 seasons.”

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

FIA updates Super Licence points for IndyCar

The FIA has announced updates to its Super Licence points structure for the IndyCar Series.

The points allocated to IndyCar have changed significantly. Finishing first or second in the series remains unchanged, with 40 points and 30 points respectively. However, it’s changes from third through to ninth that have been tweaked.

Previously, the FIA allotted a sliding scale of 40-30-20-10-8-6-4-3-2-1 for first through 10th. Now, that sliding scale is 40-30-25-20-15-1-8-6-3-1 for the same positions.

The FIA said the changes were to “reflect the growing significance of the category.”

It’s a bitter pill to swallow for Colton Herta, who would have had 39 points from his past three IndyCar seasons – one shy of the minimum 40-point threshold.

Herta could have completed one Free Practice session at a Formula 1 grand prix to gain the one extra point.

Herta, this year, is competing in Formula 2 ahead of a potential Formula 1 graduation with Cadillac.