How RFK Racing Combines Manufacturing and Technology to Win

For decades, NASCAR teams gained their competitive edge by fabricating custom parts in-house. I was surprised to learn that with the introduction of the next-gen car, NASCAR shifted to requiring nearly 90% of the vehicle’s components to be purchased off-the-shelf. That change forced teams like RFK to find new ways to achieve a competitive edge.

Kevin explained that the competitive advantage has moved from custom engineering to precision assembly. The focus now is on optimizing the assembly process and achieving the incredibly tight tolerances for each component to fit within NASCAR’s specifications. For example, a body panel might allow only 1.5 mm of variance, and how those tolerances are stacked during assembly can make or break not just a car’s performance, but also whether it meets NASCAR regulations. Adjusting the placement of a panel by as little as ten-thousandths of an inch can have a measurable impact on aerodynamics.

This means that unlike in the past, there’s no time to tweak and test at the track. Teams have just 15 minutes of practice before qualifying, meaning the car needs to be race-ready the moment it rolls off the truck. This requires an obsessive focus on preparation and assembly in the shop. It struck me how similar this is to many modern manufacturing verticals: as industries embrace tighter regulations and customer expectations around quality increase, the path to success often lies in operational excellence and continuous improvement of processes.

One of the most interesting parts of our conversation was the extent to which traceability governs RFK Racing’s operations. In racing, every part of the car must meet strict quality standards, not only for performance but also for regulatory compliance. After each race, every single component is deactivated in RFK’s system, meaning it can’t be reused without passing a rigorous inspection. These inspections range from simple visual checks to advanced methods like CT scans and 3D surface analysis.

Parts are tracked from the moment they’re purchased, through every race, repair, and rebuild. Kevin described how this detailed lifecycle data is critical for both performance optimization and regulatory audits. For example, if NASCAR flags a part during post-race inspections, RFK Racing can quickly produce the records needed to prove its compliance with regulations.

This level of traceability reminded me of the medical device or pharmaceutical industries, where intense scrutiny from regulatory bodies demands meticulous records for every component and process. It’s also a stark reminder of how data-driven operations can reduce risks, ensure compliance, and create a competitive edge for manufacturers.

Kevin shared that when he first joined, much of their data was trapped in silos—often in Excel spreadsheets. While Excel has its place, RFK Racing needed something more robust to handle the complexities of their processes and easily integrate with other systems.

The solution was to build their own Manufacturing Execution System (MES), called Relay, to meet the many unique needs of their operations. For example, unlike traditional manufacturing, where parts are often single-use, RFK Racing’s components are reused and rebuilt multiple times. The commercial solutions they evaluated couldn’t support these niche use cases, so they created their own.

By taking a citizen development approach and enabling the engineers on their team who knew these processes the best, they were able to rapidly build their custom MES to match their workflows exactly. What struck me most was their philosophy that “trust is assumed.” Kevin described how they empower employees to innovate and build on these solutions, balancing top-down governance with the freedom to innovate and improve processes. By fostering a culture of trust, RFK Racing has turned every employee into a problem solver.

As the citizen developers continued to develop solutions, they built integrations with everything from shop floor tools like metrology systems (including CMM arms and 3D scanners) to business systems like their ERP platform. This further eliminates data silos across the business and enables RFK to continually streamline their operators’ workflows.

It’s a perfect example of how technology and culture can work hand-in-hand to drive operational excellence. The systems are there to ensure consistency, but the people are encouraged to push the boundaries and make the organization better every day.

My conversation with Kevin left me with a deeper appreciation for all the manufacturing processes that go into creating a winning race car. On and off the track, the team’s precision, innovation, and relentless focus on improvement are truly impressive.

At RFK Racing, the stakes are higher than most of us will ever experience—winning or losing is often determined by fractions of a second. But the principles they follow apply to any operation: embrace technology, enable your citizen developers, and never stop chasing continuous improvement.