Roush Fenway Kesolowski (RFK Racing) is one of the most successful racing teams in NASCAR history. They have continued to be at the forefront of innovation and have launched the RFK TeK Alliance, a cutting-edge technology division aimed at pushing the boundaries of performance and innovation within the racing industry. Meridith Cass, CEO of Nix Biosensors, was a panelist at their recent summit which focused on using technology to find ways to accelerate performance.
The RFK TeK Alliance represents a strategic move by RFK Racing to further strengthen its commitment to excellence and technological advancement. With a focus on developing state-of-the-art solutions for its racing teams and enthusiasts alike, RFK TeK will bring together a team of experts in engineering, data analysis, software solutions and other technologies to drive progress in the highly competitive world of motorsports. The inaugural Tek Alliance Summit held in September 2024 at the Cain Center for the Arts in Cornelius, North Carolina demonstrated this commitment.
RFK Racing is owned by three industry powerhouses: Jack Roush, John Henry, and Brad Keselowski. Roush is an icon in American motorsports and decorated with 32 championships. Henry serves as the Principal Owner of Fenway Sports Group, which includes the Boston Red Sox, Liverpool Football Club and the Pittsburgh Penguins. Keselowski is a Champion NASCAR driver and also the owner of a simulation and design company that created groundbreaking and custom solutions for a number of industries.
The TeK Alliance included a panel titled “Elevating Excellence: Leveraging Technology to Boost Elite Team Performance”. The panel explored how top teams across various industries are harnessing advanced technologies to enhance performance, improve decision-making, and drive sustained success. From data analytics to real-time performance tracking and innovative engineering solutions, the panelists discussed tools and strategies that elevate team potential and provide a competitive edge.
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Moderated by Michael Brewer (F-15E Pilot, Thunderbirds Pilot, pilot United States Air Force).
Panelists included: Brad Keselowski (owner, Driver RFK Racing), Meridith Cass (CEO, Nix Biosensors),Scott Dembowski (Director of Human Performance - USSOCOM, US Army), and Luke Kuechly (Retired Linebacker, Carolina Panthers).
Much of the discussion centered around how to find the “unfair advantage” for athletes - harnessing the data needed to make adjustments and tweaks to push performance. Kuechly shared experiences from the NFL where GPS trackers were utilized to measure each player’s top speed, accelerations, and stride length. These metrics were then used to compare week over week and season over season. When coupled with human analysis it provided valuable insight into potential future injuries and much needed recovery sessions. Dembowski detailed a study that was performed with pilots that illuminated the drastic cognitive decline that occurs with lack of sleep. Keselowski recounted the “pivot” drivers and teams needed to make during COVID. When their on-location practice sessions were eliminated they turned to creative solutions, specifically simulations for drivers and vehicle dynamics that allowed them to get ready for upcoming events. The key them in all of these examples was the need for real-time feedback to athletes. Cass revealed that technology and data can now provide insight into dehydration levels and how those tools can be placed into the hands of an admin, which is particularly important for sports where the mentality for athletes is often times to “push through” even when they start to feel fatigued.
Underpinning all the examples and the robust panel discussion is that technology can revolutionize elite team dynamics and can help athletes and organizations achieve new levels of excellence. Yet, critical to that technology is an investment in human capital to run the technology, understand the data it is producing, and take actionable steps forward. The analytics help to take the emotion out of the decision making process and allow organizations to focus on how to find and exploit their advantage. Nix Pro, the group monitoring app, allows a single admin to monitor multiple subjects to identify and act before severe dehydration levels are reached.
Panelists at RFK Racing's inaugural TeK Alliance summit discussing how to leverage technology to improve performance of eleite team athletes.