IndyCar has extended the contracts of its three Independent Officiating Board members, Ray Evernham, Raj Nair and Ronan Morgan, through the 2027 season. The deal runs for both the top tier IndyCar Series and the Indy NXT ladder. Managing Director of Officiating Scot Elkins stays too, under the same agreement.
The IndyCar Officiating Board was set up in December 2025. Its job is overseeing race control and technical inspection. IndyCar has now committed to keeping that structure in place for a third season running.
Charter team owners and FIA confirm official appointments
Raj Nair and Ray Evernham were retained after charter team owners unanimously agreed to keep them on. That vote gives both men a direct mandate from the teams whose cars they oversee on track.
Ronan Morgan’s position works differently. He sits on the board as an FIA appointment. The FIA has formally reappointed him for 2027, rather than leaving that call to the teams.
Tony Kanaan, who oversees competition matters for the series, praised the group’s first year in charge. He said:
The implementation of the IndyCar Officiating Board this past season was a pivotal step forward for the series to ensure fair and transparent processes and decision making across race control and tech inspection. The team and I were pleased with its effectiveness in 2026 and look forward to their continued leadership in 2027.
FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem welcomed the continued link between his organisation and IndyCar. He added:
The FIA is proud to continue our role on the IndyCar Independent Officiating Board and to strengthen our partnership with IndyCar and the wider motorsport community across the United States. This collaboration goes far beyond officiating – it is about sharing knowledge and expertise across safety, sporting integrity and governance, while learning from one another to deliver a stronger championship. I have been delighted to see this relationship grow over the past year and congratulate IndyCar, its teams, drivers and officials on a historic 2026 season. We look forward to building on this momentum together in 2027.
Operational impact on IndyCar and Indy NXT race control
Keeping the same faces in place matters. Evernham, Nair and Morgan have spent a full season working alongside Elkins on calls made in race control and technical inspection, and that experience carries straight into 2027.
The board’s remit goes beyond the headline series. It also covers the Indy NXT development series, where young drivers answer to the same officiating framework before they reach the top level. Teams and drivers in both championships now know exactly who holds final say on contentious decisions heading into next year.
For fans who follow the sport’s growth off track as well as on it, this stability sits alongside recent IndyCar broadcasting updates as another sign the series is settling into a steadier rhythm.
Governance timeline and upcoming 2027 championship preparation
The Independent Officiating Board arrived in December 2025. It replaced IndyCar’s previous approach to race control oversight. Its first full season ran through 2026, and that year became the real test of whether the model works.
Both Kanaan and the FIA point to 2026 as the proof. Officials have called the year effective. The FIA has gone further, calling it historic for the sport in the United States.
With the board and Elkins locked in, attention now turns to 2027 itself. IndyCar has not detailed specific rule changes alongside this announcement. The news here is about who stays in charge of applying the rules, not what those rules will be. Readers can find more background in our earlier IndyCar paddock news, and the original announcement is covered in full by Motorsport.com’s report on IndyCar officiating.
