Texas A&M Students Get Up Close And Personal With NASCAR Cars And Drivers At Texas Motor Speedway

On Saturday, May 3, nine students from Texas A&M’s Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) got the chance of a lifetime to see what goes on behind the scenes at a NASCAR race at Texas Motor Speedway. The race was especially exciting for these students who design, build, test and race their own vehicles in competitions as part of SAE.

“I was able to see some principles from the classroom being applied in real life, but more specifically, information learned from being in Formula SAE and connecting the similarities from their work and ours,” said Jeremy Macias ’27, an electrical engineering major. “But after this experience, I am definitely a lot more interested and more connected with the racing industry after meeting everyone and getting a feel for the culture and day-to-day life.”

The group met NASCAR Cup Series driver Cole Custer, who talked with them about racing and answered questions. Custer is the driver of the Texas A&M-sponsored car, which will take the track at the Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR Cup Series race on Memorial Day weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The students also spoke with Haas Factory Team engineers and Haas F1 and Haas Factory Team president Joe Custer.

“In my 27 years in NASCAR, I’ve not met a more engaged group of students,” said Doug Barnette, president of Player Management International, Inc. “They arrived 20 minutes early, asked thoughtful questions and maximized their time at Texas Motor Speedway. Everyone with Haas Factory Team was impressed with the care and enthusiasm each student brought to the day. This is consistent with the Texas A&M culture, and it made me proud to host the group at the track.”

The students saw firsthand how real-time data and pit stop precision drive performance on the track. As if that wasn’t enough, they also sat in the pit stall during the race and talked with pit crew members throughout the event.

I was able to see some principles from the classroom being applied in real life, but more specifically, information learned from being in Formula SAE and connecting the similarities from their work and ours.

They were thrilled with the opportunity to not only be seated immediately next to the action, within inches of the racing surface, but also to learn about the dynamics that ensure team and driver work together seamlessly. Timing is critical, and everything in the car — from motor to wheels — has to be in perfect alignment to ensure success.

“This experience was really cool in a lot of ways, but the most important part for me was seeing, in real time, how a race weekend plays out,” said Ana Krayer ’25, who graduated in May with her B.S. in economics. “The amount of personnel each team needs behind the scenes to keep everything running smoothly and how coordinated every part of the weekend has to be is incredible.”

“I’m super thankful to be moving to England to work for Williams Racing in their marketing department at the end of the summer. Eventually, I hope to be working trackside and I’ll be able to apply what I learned during this weekend at NASCAR.”

Experiences like this show Texas A&M students how what they learn in the classroom can be applied to the real world. Attending the NASCAR race was about more than taking selfies with drivers. It was about learning how working together as a team and pooling multidisciplinary expertise can make a significant and meaningful impact. It was about watching how design becomes a reality out on the track, and how to keep pushing yourself and making adjustments to constantly improve.