After five years of working hand-in-hand with Phil Surgen, Ross Chastain, a six-time NASCAR Cup Series race-winner, will have a new voice calling the shots at NASCAR’s top-level, starting with this weekend’s DAYTONA 500 at Daytona International Speedway.
Brandon McSwain joined Trackhouse Racing during the off-season and will serve as the new crew chief for Chastain and the No. 1 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, marking his first full-time crew chief gig in NASCAR’s National Series.
McSwain comes from Hendrick Motorsports, where he’s spent several years as the lead engineer for William Byron and the iconic No. 24 Chevrolet, working underneath Rudy Fugle. So, while the situation may be new in 2026, the Auburndale, Florida-native has plenty of experience with the NextGen car, as well as the confidence in working with a top-tier team and driver.
“I thought I was going to end my Cup career with Phil Surgen,” said Ross Chastain. “It just came time for him and his family to be home more, and I understand that. This is a grind. He came to us with plenty of time and explained what he wanted to do. He created his own job, really, at the top of Trackhouse, up with Darian Grubb in the leadership group over on the competition side. He can help Brandon [McSwain], he can help Randall [Burnett, the new crew chief of the No. 88] now, and Stephen [Doran] on our three cars.”
“[McSwain] was my vote,” Chastain added. “It wasn’t like I slammed my fist on the table and said I got to have him, I just said I think this is the guy, and I made my case.”
So, why McSwain? Well, as it turns out, Chastain has an established relationship with him.
“I’ve known Brandon McSwain for more than a decade. We met in 2014 at Shigeaki Hattori’s team. It was his first job out of college. He’s worked for Bruce Cook as an engineer, and we hit it off,” Chastain said. “We’ve stayed friends. We’ve lived about a mile from each other for the last five years, and I was at his wedding when he married his better half, Jackie, and they’ve raised two awesome kids now. So definitely something that we didn’t have to go to dinner and learn each other’s names. I know his family.”
“His wife’s uncle is actually a watermelon seed salesman. So, it’s pretty crazy that we’ve been connected in more than one way. Now, we’re finally getting to work together again after meeting in a race shop a long time ago.”
Chastain, a native of Alva, Florida, is entering his eighth season as a full-time NASCAR Cup Series driver and has been a member of the Trackhouse Racing family since 2022, when the organization purchased the entirety of the now-defunct Chip Ganassi Racing, where Chastain was a development driver.
Since joining Trackhouse Racing in 2022, Chastain has made headlines in many different ways, but has managed to finish inside the top-10 in final NASCAR Cup Series point standings in three of his four seasons — even advancing to the Championship 4 in 2022, before finishing second in points to Joey Logano.
“That’s why he was my guy,” said Chastain. “I tossed his name into the hat at Trackhouse. They were interviewing several great candidates. All would have been great crew chiefs. Some are currently, and some will be one day. My vote was Brandon. I had a relationship with him, and I feel like I understand his voice. I’m a people person, and I feel like I understand what he’s saying long before Ihave to kind of think about it.”
Chastain will begin tackling the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series campaign in Sunday’s 68th Annual DAYTONA 500 at Daytona International Speedway, an event he’s finished top-10 in three times with three different organizations (Premium Motorsports, Chip Ganassi Racing, and Trackhouse Racing).
Coverage of the DAYTONA 500 will take place Sunday, February 15, at 2:30 PM ET on FOX.
