The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season is seeing a major shakeup as Trackhouse Racing experiences a pivotal crew chief change, with Team Penske reclaiming former key staffer Matt Swiderski. This Trackhouse Racing crew chief change follows a season that tested both teams, as Roger Penske aims to reinvigorate his operation with a familiar face just as Trackhouse gears up with fresh talent and a renewed Red Bull partnership.
A Tumultuous 2025 Season Sets the Stage
The previous NASCAR season proved unforgettable for Trackhouse Racing. Shane van Gisbergen, a celebrated Kiwi rookie, clinched five road course wins, adding international flair to the Cup Series. Ross Chastain brought further glory by capturing the Coca-Cola 600. However, the year also had its setbacks: Daniel Suarez struggled and eventually exited the team after a difficult campaign. As Trackhouse looks forward to the 2026 Cup Series, an unexpected twist has emerged with Roger Penske enticing away their crew chief, Matt Swiderski.
Team Penske Reacquires a Valuable Asset
Matt Swiderski’s move back to Team Penske becomes apparent through recent updates on his LinkedIn profile. According to a keen NASCAR fan post,
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2025 Trackhouse 99 car crew chief Matt Swiderski has returned to Team Penske,
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and, in a further update,
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Is now Performance Engineering Director with Team Penske, after a 1 year, 11 month tenure at Trackhouse.
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These quotes, sourced directly from a NASCAR fan’s Reddit post, have yet to reach major headlines but clearly signal a noteworthy development in the NASCAR world.
Swiderski had joined Daniel Suárez’s No. 99 Chevrolet squad at the start of 2024, quickly guiding the driver to a win at Atlanta. His previous achievements include working as crew chief for AJ Allmendinger on Kaulig Racing’s No. 16, helping secure two Cup Series victories. Even earlier, Swiderski was instrumental in teams led by Team Penske stalwarts Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano, and Brad Keselowski, having led Roger Penske’s No. 12 Xfinity team.
Roger Penske’s decision to bring Swiderski back highlights his intent to return Team Penske to championship contention. 2025 saw Penske’s teams face challenges, narrowly missing out on a championship win. However, since 2018, Penske’s organization has collected more Cup Series championships than any other, thanks to drivers like Logano and Blaney at the forefront. The addition of Swiderski as Performance Engineering Director signals a strategic move to keep that dominance intact.
Trackhouse Racing Prepares for a Bold 2026
Despite losing a top crew chief, Trackhouse Racing shows no signs of slowing down for the upcoming season. The team’s attention now turns to drivers Shane van Gisbergen and rookie Connor Zilisch, fierce former competitors in the Xfinity Series who are now teammates. Zilisch, coming off a stunning ten-win Xfinity season with JR Motorsports, is set to embark on his first Cup Series campaign in the spotlight.
Adding to Trackhouse’s momentum is the return of Red Bull as a primary partner—its first major involvement in NASCAR since 2011. Connor Zilisch will debut the iconic Red Bull colors in the No. 88 Chevrolet at the Daytona 500, and Shane van Gisbergen will race the brand’s livery on the No. 97 the following week at EchoPark Speedway. Team principal Justin Marks is looking to broaden the Red Bull partnership across other disciplines, including MotoGP and IndyCar, reflecting significant ambitions for the future.
Trackhouse’s New Partnership Philosophy
Justin Marks underscores the scope of Red Bull’s aspirations with the team, stating,
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They know everything about racing that you would want a partner to know about. They’ve got a very ambitious and robust plan for activation and promotion around the partnership and there’s a lot of opportunity to scale it beyond just the NASCAR team, so there’s a lot of really great conversations happening there,
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elaborating further, Red Bull
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can really grease the wheels of that because everybody knows Red Bull,
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and adding that
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they want to make big moments happen just like we do.
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— Justin Marks, Team Owner. These remarks reflect the mutual enthusiasm and shared vision that both Trackhouse and Red Bull bring to NASCAR’s evolving commercial landscape.
What This Means for NASCAR’s Top Teams
As the 2026 Cup Series looms, the Trackhouse Racing crew chief change will challenge the team’s adaptability, especially as Team Penske seeks to maximize Matt Swiderski’s expertise. Trackhouse, meanwhile, has set its sights on innovation: investing in young talent like Zilisch, expanding global partnerships, and leveraging the passionate backing of partners like Red Bull. For fans, these moves spark intense anticipation and herald another dramatic chapter in NASCAR’s ongoing evolution, with established champions like Joey Logano and new faces such as Connor Zilisch steering their teams toward fresh rivalries and potential glory.
2025 Trackhouse 99 car crew chief Matt Swiderski has returned to Team Penske
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