The Independent Officiating Board (IOB) have established a number of items as the 2026 season for the IndyCar Series and Indy NXT gets underway later this week, but the search continues on finding someone to fill the role as the managing director of officiating (MDO).
The IOB, which consists of chairman Raj Nair, secretary and treasurer Ray Evernham and FIA appointee Ronan Morgan, have spent the last few months sorting the necessary needs for the sport.
The items included establishment of the not-for-profit IndyCar Officiating Inc. corporation, along with finalizing the IndyCar Officiating budget for the 2026 season. The group also reviews IndyCar’s established processes and personnel, which led to the determination of a need for additional experienced personnel for the technical team, along with a need for a separate race director for Indy NXT. Upon review of the stewarding positions, no changes were made.
“The board has been meticulous and thorough in our review of IndyCar’s officiating process and procedures,” board chairman Nair said. “While we are pleased with the early achievements, there is plenty of work still to do. Among our major goals is to implement a more detailed transparency reporting structure to teams – related to technical and race infractions – as well as establishing consistency of rule implementation and enforcement. As a collective, we are confident in the results our team will achieve over the season.”
Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing
Photo by: Gavin Baker / Lumen via Getty Images
The IOB also continues to interview candidates to find the perfect fit for the roles and responsibilities of the MDO. As the process of identifying the ideal person continues and until that hire is announced, the board plans to oversee general independent officiating operations.
“One of the clear takeaways as we analyzed IndyCar officiating and operations has been that IndyCar already greatly benefits from the knowledgeable and professional personnel in race control and technical inspection,” said board member Evernham.
“With that, combined with the expertise that the board brings, we are going to work with the current team members of each but will add additional resources and support.”
All three members of the IOB will attend and provide oversight for IndyCar Officiating at the season-opening round on the Streets of St. Petersburg, and will share responsibilities over until an MDO is secured.
Among other notables, Kyle Novak will continue as the race director and vice president of IndyCar Officiating. Novak has served as the sport’s race director since 2018 and leads race control and circuit safety development, with responsibilities for developing and enforcing competition regulations for both IndyCar and Indy NXT. Also an attorney, Novak serves as one of 36 judges on the FIA Courts and hears cases as a member of the FIA International Tribunal and International Court of Appeal.
On the technical side, the IOB has determined that Kevin “Rocket” Blanch will continue as the IndyCar Officiating’s technical director. Blanch, who joined IndyCar in 2003 after serving six-plus seasons as crew chief with Panther Racing, will oversee the technical inspection process and will provide technical oversight and ensure compliance of aerodynamic and chassis regulations.
Arie Luyendyk and Max Papis will continue to lend their expertise as chief stewards for IndyCar Officiating. The two have served as stewards for North America’s premier open-wheel championship since 2016. Both officials are stationed in race control and monitor on-track sessions, review incidents for rule violations and enforce penalties.
One of the changes the IOB made is the addition of Nick Allen as a technical inspection manager. Allen, who will work with Blanch, brings over 20 years of experience as an IndyCar race team mechanic and chief mechanic. In the coming weeks, IndyCar Officiating will add a tech inspection manager for Indy NXT and, working with Novak, a dedicated Indy NXT race director.
“The officiating in IndyCar is not broken; in fact, racing series around the world could learn from its procedures and operation,” said board member Morgan. “At this point, our opinion is that independent IndyCar Officiating should be framed as a sensible evolution when it comes to general process. By providing and overseeing additional support, transparency and added separation between officials and series management, we firmly believe that IndyCar Officiating is primed to be successfully implemented for the 2026 seasons.”
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