News Roundup: Let's Get Regulated

It’s been a fairly low-key week in American open-wheel, all things considered. As of press time, Dale Coyne Racing appear to have once again missed their self-imposed deadline to find a second driver, depriving us of a big splashy headline, but a few details elsewhere have popped up that could prove important down the line. (Besides, I needed an excuse to get this newsletter back to Mondays.) So without further ado, let’s get into this news roundup.

Say hello to the IOB

The biggest announcement of the week arrived Thursday, when IndyCar unveiled its new Independent Officiating Board. This move had been in the works for a while, but it was no doubt sped up by the multiple scandals around Team Penske in the past couple seasons and the inherent suspicion that comes when you pair that with Roger Penske’s ownership of the IndyCar Series.

Along with the Board, the series announced its inaugural three members, two selected by IndyCar and one by the FIA. For their own picks, the series went with Ray Evernham, the crew chief for three of Jeff Gordon’s championship seasons, and Raj Nair, a longtime Ford executive. The FIA, meanwhile, named Ronan Morgan, a former WRC co-driver and the longtime sporting director of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Given the old “If you ain’t cheatin’, you ain’t tryin’” mantra of motorsport, it’s not clear when the Board’s first major test will arrive, but as long as they’re consistent and proportionate in their judgements, they should be a welcome addition to the series.

Super license points improve

Sticking with the FIA for a moment, Wednesday saw the organization boost the super license points drivers can earn in IndyCar. From 2026 on, 3rd through 9th place in the final season standings will all award more than they had previously, with jumps as high as ten extra points compared to 2025’s payouts. This means that, going forward, two straight seasons in the top four or three straight in the top five will be enough for any F1-inclined drivers in the IndyCar field to punch their ticket.

Naturally, this all brought Colton Herta’s super license situation to mind, and while he still wouldn’t have 40 points right now if the last three years were scored with the new values, he would have had a window to apply after finishing 3rd and 5th in the 2020 and 2021 seasons, respectively. Then again, if Carlos Correa had homered, he’d be running home. All Herta can do now is put his head down and focus on mopping up the points he needs in 2026 to hop in the Cadillac the year after.

More names up for Daytona

The entry list for the 24 Hours of Daytona is out, and in addition to the IndyCar drivers we covered last week, more have entered the picture.

In LMP2, Kyffin Simpson makes his return to the event after a year away, and he’ll join four-time Champ Car champion Sébastian Bourdais in the Tower #8. Bourdais will be hunting a bit of redemption here, as last year the #8 appeared to win in class easily, only to fail post-race tech a few days after the event.

Meanwhile, in the Inter Europol #343, Nolan Siegel will take his first turn in an LMP2 since winning that class at the 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans. He finds himself in a strong lineup headlined by one-time Super Formula champion and two-time Formula E vice-champion Nick Cassidy. Cassidy’s presence adds some intrigue to the teamwork within Inter Europol, as Antonio Felix da Costa, Cassidy’s replacement at Jaguar, will copilot the team’s other car.

In GTD Pro, Rahal Letterman Lanigan will have a milestone race, as this marks their first sports car outing since switching from BMW to McLaren. Their #59 car will have no friends in the field, but it will have Jüri Vips, who’s making his first appearance in any series since piloting RLL’s fourth car at the 2024 Grand Prix of Portland. With the charter system ending his annual audition rides, this is likely his new role within the organization, and if he wants even a faint hope of getting back, he’ll have to impress.

Finally, we’ve got two Indy NXT prospects to note, one old and one new. The new kid is Enzo Fittipaldi, who’ll team with his brother Pietro in the Pratt Miller #73 LMP2 ahead of his debut with HMD at St. Petersburg. The old one is James Roe, who’s probably overstayed his welcome in Indy NXT by running four seasons without a race win and apparently angling for a fifth. However, he’ll take a commendable double-duty plunge at Daytona. He’ll split time between LMP2, where Roe will share the Era #18 with ex-F1 driver Logan Sargeant and Ferdinand Habsburg (yes, as in those Habsburgs), and GTD, where he’ll copilot the Lone Star #80 Mercedes. As Kyle Kirkwood’s dual-class run last year showed, this is no easy task, and Roe will have it even harder by having to switch styles between a GT3 and a prototype. Should the Irishman contribute meaningfully to both teams, it’ll be an incredible show of mettle.