From FMU to the Fast Lane

Cody McKenzie, a 2016 graduate of Francis Marion University, has carved out an impressive path in the world of professional racing – a lifelong dream for the Dillon, S.C., native who was driving race cars in his early teens.

Today, McKenzie serves as the Crew Chief for the No. 31 Chevrolet in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with Jordan Anderson Racing Bommarito Autosport. McKenzie lives in Troutman, N.C., just north of Charlotte, with his family.

McKenzie’s passion for racing began early. When a racetrack opened in his hometown in 2006, he quickly found work there, fueling a dream that many kids share — to be behind the wheel.

“Everyone wants to be the quarterback on the football team,” McKenzie recalls. “I started racing at Dillon in 2009 and kept going through college at FMU.”

By 2011, he had earned a track championship, but he soon realized that motorsports posed unique challenges.

“In traditional sports, athletes are scouted, offered scholarships, and even paid to compete,” he explains. “In racing, you pay to participate.” Without major financial backing, McKenzie pivoted, determined to stay close to the sport, even if he wasn’t in the driver’s seat.

McKenzie earned a degree in Computational Physics and a minor in Mathematics. That might seem like an unusual major for a race car driver, but it was part of McKenzie’s plan to enter the engineering side of racing.

The plan worked even better than McKenzie might have imagined.

McKenzie was planning to attend graduate school at Clemson and began seeking out internships in the Upstate, but was coming up dry. Finally, he took a chance and reached out on Facebook to a racing professional with a similar, scientific background. That bold move landed him an internship with Chip Ganassi Racing (now Trackhouse Racing), and it marked a turning point in his career. He worked there from May to August of 2016.

After completing his master’s in Mechanical Engineering at Clemson University in 2017, McKenzie applied to racing teams across the country. He eventually secured a position at Richard Childress Racing, home to NASCAR’s legendary Earnhardt family, as a simulation engineer. From there, he steadily rose through the ranks to become a crew chief.

“My role (as crew chief) is a lot like being the head coach of a team,” says McKenzie. “I’m responsible for everything; overseeing the crew, preparing the car, running simulations, managing schedules, and making sure we’re race-ready.”

It is a demanding job that requires technical skill, leadership, and relentless attention to detail.

Each week starts with preparation: installing parts, wrapping the car with the week’s decals, and running data simulations at GM’s technical center. McKenzie and his team are at the track by the weekend where practice is limited to just 20 minutes before Saturday’s race.

“Then on Monday morning (after the Sunday race), we start all over again,” says McKenzie.

The job comes with intense travel and long hours, but McKenzie embraces it.

“You really have to love this,” he says. “It’s more than a job. It’s a lifestyle. The hardest part is being away from my family, but I’m doing what I’m passionate about.”

The foundation for that pursuit began at FMU. McKenzie found both flexibility and academic discipline at the university close to his home. And, he was able to continue racing while pursuing his education. He commuted daily from Dillon, and was involved in campus life — tutoring, participating in honor societies like Omicron Delta Kappa, and attending conferences such as the Southeastern Section of the American Physical Society in 2015.

He credits professors Dr. Larry Englehardt and Dr. Seth Smith, both in FMU’s Department of Engineering and Physics, for shaping his academic experience.

“They were fantastic mentors,” he says.

His early doubts about studying physics quickly turned into a deep appreciation for the subject and laid the foundation for his career in engineering.

And, on the track.