E29: Engineering and Technology in Auto Racing | Phil Surgen | Class of 2004

In this episode of The WPI Podcast, we explore NASCAR racing from an engineer’s perspective.  Phil Surgen, director of technology for Trackhouse Racing, former crew chief for NASCAR Cup Series driver Ross Chastain, and a 2004 Worcester Polytechnic Institute mechanical engineering graduate, discusses the role of engineering, technology, and teamwork in competing at the highest level of stock car racing.  Surgen talks about how data and simulators inform his team’s efforts, career opportunities for engineers in NASCAR, how his work as a student on WPI’s long-running Formula SAE race car program provided him with valuable experience, and what it’s like to work on a race team with three cars competing in NASCAR. This episode is part one of a two-part feature on Surgen. You can read more about the WPI alum’s work in auto racing in the spring 2026 issue of WPI Journal. Related links: WPI Formula SAE  Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering Major Qualifying Projects