Jay Frye: A Year After Leaving IndyCar, Reflecting on Success & RLL Future
- A year after stepping down from his role as IndyCar President, Jay Frye is reflecting on a decade of change and growth within the open-wheel series.
- Frye, who currently serves as President of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL), described the past year as a “whirlwind,” transitioning from leading the entire series to focusing on...
- Frye’s journey with IndyCar began in 2013 as Chief Revenue Officer, quickly ascending to President of Competition and Operations in 2015, and ultimately assuming the role of IndyCar...
A year after stepping down from his role as IndyCar President, Jay Frye is reflecting on a decade of change and growth within the open-wheel series. His departure, effective , marked the end of a pivotal era, one he now views with a sense of accomplishment and forward momentum.
Frye, who currently serves as President of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL), described the past year as a “whirlwind,” transitioning from leading the entire series to focusing on the success of a single team. He emphasized the positive changes implemented during his ten-year tenure at IndyCar, stating, “There’s a lot of things that I think changed the sport in a really positive way that happened in that 10-year period.”
Frye’s journey with IndyCar began in as Chief Revenue Officer, quickly ascending to President of Competition and Operations in , and ultimately assuming the role of IndyCar President at the end of . He navigated the series through multiple ownership changes, first under Hulman & Company and then under Roger Penske, consistently striving to build consensus and foster a collaborative environment.
“I think the consensus in the paddock and the relationship with the paddock is something I’m really most proud of,” Frye said. He prioritized open communication and valued the input of team owners, drivers, and other stakeholders, believing that collective decision-making was crucial for the sport’s progress. “It’s hard to put that on a resume, per se. But I felt like we were all in it together, and I felt like ultimately we had to decide things…That was our job; building a consensus, getting their opinions, we called it harnessing the power of the paddock.”
While Frye highlighted the importance of paddock relationships, he also pointed to specific technological advancements as key achievements during his time at IndyCar. The most significant, he noted, was the implementation of the aeroscreen.
The aeroscreen, a halo-like device designed to protect drivers from debris, was a collaborative effort involving Red Bull Advanced Technologies, PPG, Pankl, and Dallara, alongside the teams themselves. Frye recalled the rapid development and implementation of the safety feature, stating, “We called Red Bull in March of 2019 and then at the COTA Open Test in February of 2020, right before COVID, we had all 26 cars that were participating that had aeroscreens on.” He emphasized the speed of the process – just eight months from initial contact to full implementation – as “spectacular.”
Frye believes the aeroscreen not only enhanced driver safety but also attracted new talent to the series, citing the interest of seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson and former Formula 1 driver Romain Grosjean as examples. “As you look at it, Jimmie Johnson and other people that came into the sport, Romain Grosjean, there were drivers that came in after that was implemented that might not have if we didn’t have it on the car,” he said. He also noted the positive aesthetic impact, with children remarking that the cars “looked really cool, like a fighter jet.”
Another significant challenge Frye navigated during his tenure was securing a title sponsorship following the expiration of Verizon’s five-year deal after the season. He recounted the pressure to finalize a deal before the season finale at Sonoma Raceway and the eventual success in securing NTT Data as the new title sponsor. “NTT, that was a big deal,” Frye said. “We talked to NTT in Sonoma; it was the first time we even talked to them. We had nothing going into the next season. And between Sonoma in September until Christmas, we turned around a league entitlement, which, those are very complicated.”
Frye’s transition to RLL, which was announced on , came about through a long-standing relationship with team co-owner Bobby Rahal. He described the decision as an opportunity to contribute to a team with a strong foundation and a commitment to success. “Once this went down, he was one of the first calls I got. And we started talking, and I wasn’t sure exactly what I wanted to do,” Frye explained. “It was something that I really felt…we’re building something for the future.”
RLL has been actively bolstering its team in the offseason, adding notable personnel such as Mick Schumacher, son of Formula 1 legend Michael Schumacher, and veteran paddock figure Brian Barnhart, who will serve as Senior Vice President of Operations and strategist for Graham Rahal. The team has also brought on Gavin Ward, a championship-winning engineer with experience at Team Penske and Red Bull Racing, in an advisory role. Frye expressed excitement about the new additions, stating, “We’ve got a lot of new people in, really, really good people, key people that we basically targeted to go get.” He also emphasized a focus on fostering a positive team culture, embracing a “MSH/GSD” (Make Stuff Happen/Get Stuff Done) mentality.
Looking back on his time at IndyCar, Frye expressed hope that he left the series in a better position than when he arrived. “You always want to leave something better after you’re gone than when you got there. Hopefully, people think it’s better now than what it was 10 years ago.”