After the FIA ​​visited a race earlier this year, IndyCar president Doug Boles shared surprising revelations about Penske Entertainment’s management of the series. The series wants to introduce an independent governing body to run the competition Team Penske’s Indy 500 Scandal.

Penske’s Optics has been hit by two major “cheating” controversies in less than 15 months, putting the series in a bad light especially when billionaire Roger Penske also owns the series. In the search and efforts to establish an independent governing body, certain teams want the FIA ​​to be seen as a viable option as it is responsible for governing F1the world’s largest racing series and the WEC, among others.

As part of that process, FIA officials visited the 2025 Milwaukee Mile race weekend in late August to review IndyCar’s existing governance. It turns out some of the processes in America’s top open-wheel racing series are better than those in the FIA.

Doug Boles appears on Hinch and Rossi go off track podcast posted on Wednesday, December 17, and shared details about the situation. Explaining the FIA’s involvement, he said (11:30 onward):

“We met with the FIA. Several of our team owners did feel it made sense to look at the FIA. So, actually, the FIA ​​came to visit us at the Milwaukee race to see how things were going.”

“What’s interesting is that the FIA’s response to us when they came here was that the system is not broken. In fact, we do some things much better than the FIA. But what we need is a firewall between series ownership and decision-making,” he added.

IndyCar eventually formed a three-member Independent Officiating Board (IOB).

How will IndyCar’s new governance structure work?

Starting in 2026, indy car There will be a new management agency that will operate independently of Penske Entertainment, which owns the series. It will have a three-man management committee, two of whom are elected by votes from the 10 franchise team owners, with the FIA ​​appointing the third member.

NASCAR Hall of Famer Ray Evernham, best known for serving as crew chief for Hendrick Motorsports during the three-time NASCAR Cup Series championship run on Jeff Gordon’s pit crew, was one of two members selected by the team owner. His partner on the board is Raj Nair, an automotive industry veteran with experience working at Ford Motor Company and overseeing its racing program.

The FIA-appointed member of IndyCar’s IOB is Ronan Morgan, who has served as supervisory chairman for more than 100 races and rally events. Morgan has more than 50 years of experience in motorsport, having served as sporting manager of the Abu Dhabi Formula 1 Grand Prix from 2009 to 2021 and as chairman of the FIA ​​Drivers Commission. He is also a member of the FIA ​​World Motor Sport Council and advisor to the FIA ​​President.