Kettering Alum Takes to the Track as Crew Chief for 100th NASCAR Cup Event

Kettering Alum Takes to the Track as Crew Chief for 100th NASCAR Cup Event

Matt Swiderski '03 (ME) marked his 100th race as crew chief in the NASCAR Cup Series during the 2024 Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 21. Swiderski reached the milestone by leading driver Daniel Suarez and the No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 to a solid top-ten finish at the famous Indianapolis racetrack. Through 99 previous Cup events, Swiderski had overseen three victories, 11 top-five results, and 23 top-10 finishes while working with six different drivers.

Swiderski earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Kettering University and a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University. He spent his early career as a data acquisition and race engineer at Richard Childress Racing (RCR) starting in 2005. He briefly left the racing world in 2012 to work as a loads engineer at SpaceX. Swiderski returned to NASCAR and RCR eight months later as a chief race engineer before becoming the head of vehicle performance.

In 2017, Swiderski debuted as a crew chief in the Xfinity Series, helping guide the RCR No. 3 Chevrolet team and drivers Ty Dillon, Scott Lagasse Jr., and Brian Scott on the track. Swiderski worked part-time as Xfinity crew chief for Team Penske during the next three seasons.

In 2021, Swiderski joined forces with Kaulig Racing and the No. 16 Chevrolet to make his crew chief debut in the Cup Series. Swiderski earned his first NASCAR victory as a crew chief at the Cup Series' inaugural event at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course that August with A.J. Allmendinger behind the wheel.

In January 2024, Kaulig Racing and Trackhouse Racing swapped crew chiefs, and Swiderski joined the No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 team. After a sour start to the season with a crash during the Daytona 500, Swiderski and Daniel Suarez earned their first win together the following week at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Swiderski and Suarez are guaranteed a spot in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs based on the Atlanta victory.