ROK Cup USA will use a panel of three highly experienced race stewards to review penalties at the 2026 ROK Vegas at the Rio. Mike Jones, an accomplished karter and owner of Dallas Karting Complex, will serve as Chief Steward. He will be joined by Jonatan Jorge and Gabby Chaves.

Jorge brings a wealth of experience as both a driver and a driver coach. Like most drivers, he began his career in karting before advancing through the open-wheel and IMSA ranks. Jorge served as Chief Steward for the 2025 ROK Vegas event and currently works as a driver coach and spotter in IMSA and INDYCAR.

Chaves is the 2014 Indy Lights (now INDY NXT) champion and 2015 INDYCAR Rookie of the Year. He began racing karts in South Florida and internationally before moving to open-wheel cars, where he competed in INDYCAR for four seasons. Chaves currently competes in IMSA GT competition and holds an FIA Gold driver rating.

How the New System Works

The new system is designed to reduce protests while encouraging education and better racecraft. All three stewards will review every on-track penalty in accordance with the ROK Cup rules:

• All three stewards agree: the penalty stands, and it cannot be protested.
• Two stewards agree and one dissents: the Team Principal may file a formal protest with a $300 protest fee.
• One steward agrees and two dissent: the penalty is automatically overturned.

For any penalty, a steward will be happy to explain the factors behind the decision.

“Our goal is to be educational and develop better racecraft,” said Mike Burrell, ROK Cup USA Director. “ROK doesn’t look at protests as a revenue source. I think we collected a whopping $200 at FWT this winter. We all agree that, in the long run, it’s best to educate drivers, parents and teams on good racecraft and the rules. Basically, keep your money, learn and come back to race better next time out.”

Penalty Notifications

All ROK Vegas penalties will be sent through the RACE SELECT app, available on Apple and Android. Penalized drivers will receive a text message, so all competitors should:

• Turn on notifications in the RACE SELECT app.
• Make sure their current cell phone number is on file with ROK Cup USA and up-to-date in their RACE SELECT account.

Results and penalties will also be posted in the ROK Vegas Info WhatsApp group. Written penalties will not be handed out at the scales.

“We’re in an electronic age. Handwriting penalties is very 1990s, and it slows down the scales,” Burrell continued. “Everyone is looking at their phones all day anyway. This just gives them another reason to.”

Please join the ROK Cup USA WhatsApp Group via the QR Code.

Download 2026 ROK Vegas EVENT SUPPLEMENT (.pdf)

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