IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard has admitted via Twitter that some of the series' team owners are pushing to have him removed.
"It is true that an owner is calling others trying to have me fired. I have had several owners confirm this. Disappointing." he posted on the social media site on Tuesday evening.
Bernard did not specify which team owners were involved other than to say in a separate tweet that it is not Penske Racing owner Roger Penske, who was known to be upset about the recent twin versus single turbo controversy.
Other outlets have suggested that the dissent comes within the ranks of the Chevrolet teams, although two of the teams named are yet to respond to requests for comment. A third, Andretti Autosport's Michael Andretti, used Twitter on Wednesday to deny any role.
Bernard told AUTOSPORT via email that he "remains confident that everything can be worked out," but would not confirm whether he plans to meet with the relevant owners at this weekend's Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix.
The former Professional Bull Riding boss signed a five-year contract with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Corp. as IndyCar CEO in 2010, and has supervised an overhaul of both the organization itself and the series' technical profile. He has also been active in steering the series toward financial viability after several years of heavy losses, and enticed manufacturers Chevrolet and Lotus to join Honda as engine suppliers this year. However the protracted battle over turbo parity left a sour taste for some teams, and there have also been concerns about the costs of the new DW12 chassis rising well beyond the promised figure of $350,000.
News of the discontent comes at an unwelcome time for IndyCar, arriving just days after a dramatic Indy 500 that achieved its highest TV ratings in four years.