Tim Baughman has served as INDYCAR’s senior director of track safety and medical services since 2018, when his position became full time after he retired from the Indianapolis Fire Department.

Baughman brings 32 years of leadership experience to the AMR INDYCAR Safety Team from the Indianapolis Fire Department, where he worked his way through the ranks. Among his IFD positions, Baughman was Captain of a Special Rescue Station, Division Chief of Training, Chief of Operations, Division Chief of Planning, Deputy Chief of Administration and Assistant Chief.

As a paramedic student, Baughman was assigned to work at Indianapolis Motor Speedway to attend to sick and injured fans in the infield. This exposure, along with his natural interest in racing, led to Baughman staying involved in emergency medicine at IMS. In 1982, he worked as a paramedic in the garage area, pits and on a track ambulance. In 1992, he received an invitation to work on the IMS Track Safety Team.

In 1996, the INDYCAR Safety Team was established and started traveling to provide on-track rescue response on temporary street courses, permanent road courses short ovals and superspeedways. Very similar to the fire service, Baughman worked his way up from a rescue technician to a primary paramedic and then to a crew leader in 2012. He was awarded the Championship Driver’s Association Safety Award in 2010 for his continued contributions to driver rescue and safety.

In his current role, Baughman oversees the 40-person AMR INDYCAR Safety Team that travels to every INDYCAR SERIES race event to provide medical assistance to drivers, team personnel and fans at tracks.

Baughman also was one of the founders of the FEMA USAR Team-Indiana Task Force One. This team responded to multiple hurricanes, including Andrew and Katrina. Baughman retired from Indiana Task Force One following its deployment to the World Trade Center after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. Baughman was the safety officer on the night shift for the first 10 days following the attack.

Baughman was born and raised in Indianapolis. He attended Wabash College to study biology with a focus on a pre-med curriculum. While in college, he had an interest in emergency medicine and became an emergency medical technician. In 1983, he graduated from the Methodist Hospital paramedic program. Baughman later became a State of Indiana emergency medicine primary instructor and returned to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis to teach emergency medicine.