IndyCar News

Max Papis announces departure as IndyCar chief steward

Max Papis has confirmed that the 2026 IndyCar season was his final year as chief steward.

Max Papis announces departure as IndyCar chief steward
Photo: Motorsport.com

Max Papis: What Happened

Motorsport.com reported on Friday, October 23, 2026 in a story involving Max Papis, Italian, Formula. Here is how the report opens:

Max Papis has confirmed that the 2026 IndyCar season was his final year as chief steward. The 57-year-old Italian announced his departure via social media, ending an 11-year stint in IndyCar race control. Papis transitioned into officiating following a racing career that included seven Formula 1 starts in 1995, three victories over an 11-year career in IndyCar, and multiple starts across…

— Motorsport.com

It is one of many IndyCar stories we are following today. Below are the key takeaways, how the story is being reported across the sport, background on IndyCar Series and what to watch next.

Key Takeaways

  • The story: Max Papis announces departure as IndyCar chief steward
  • Who’s involved: Max Papis, Italian and Formula
  • League: IndyCar
  • First reported: Friday, October 23, 2026 by Motorsport.com

Background: IndyCar Series

The IndyCar Series, officially known as the NTT IndyCar Series for sponsorship reasons, is the highest class of American open-wheel car racing in the United States, which has been conducted under the auspices of various sanctioning bodies since 1920. The series is self-sanctioned by its parent company, IndyCar, LLC, which began in 1996 as the Indy Racing League (IRL) and was created by then Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner Tony George as a competitor to Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART). In 2008, the IndyCar Series merged with CART's successor, the Champ Car World Series, unifying the history and statistics of both series (as well as those from their predecessors).

The series' premier event is the Indianapolis 500, which was first held in 1911 (which also gives the series its name 'IndyCar').

Text from Wikipedia’s IndyCar Series article, CC BY-SA 4.0.

What’s Next for Max Papis

For fans following Max Papis, the next things to watch are the race results, qualifying, championship standings and schedule. Stories like this one tend to move quickly, so check back for follow-up reports and reaction as more outlets pick it up.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened with Max Papis?

Max Papis has confirmed that the 2026 IndyCar season was his final year as chief steward. The 57-year-old Italian announced his departure via social media, ending an 11-year stint in IndyCar race control. Papis transitioned into officiating following a racing career that included seven Formula 1 starts in 1995, three victories over an 11-year career in IndyCar, and multiple starts across… Motorsport.com reported the story on Friday, October 23, 2026.

Who reported this INDY story?

Motorsport.com first reported it on Friday, October 23, 2026. ForTheFans summarizes it here with background and related IndyCar news.

Where can I get the latest IndyCar news today?

The ForTheFans IndyCar page collects every INDY headline as it breaks, including race results, qualifying and championship standings, with live scores on our scores page.

Summarized by ForTheFans from reporting by Motorsport.com. Headlines, quoted text and photos belong to their publishers. How we report

IndyCar Explainers From ForTheFans