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Another crew chief move is in the pipeline in NASCAR, and this time it's Ross Chastain and his crew's time. Phil Surgen is the current crew chief of the 32-year-old, but this is slated to change for the 2026 season as Hendrick Motorsports' Brandon McSwain is understood to move over to Trackhouse Racing.Surgen has worked alongside Chastain since 2021. The pair collaborated each race weekend when they were at Chip Ganassi Racing, and as the Alva-born driver decided to move to Trackhouse Racing, his incumbent crew chief followed in his footsteps.Since then, the pair have had cordial relations and have even fought for the Cup Series title. But, this partnership is seemingly on its last leg as strong sources within the NASCAR sphere have revealed that Surgen's time as the crew chief for Chastain may not remain a reality for long.According to RACER, HM engineer Brandon McSwain will replace the incumbent crew chief in 2026. McSwain has often stepped into the shoes of a crew chief in his path to the Cup Series and guided William Byron during the fall Daytona race in a one-off appearance.However, this was seemingly enough for Trackhouse Racing to place their bets on McSwain, and an announcement related to him becoming the crew chief for Ross Chastain is on the horizon.How did Ross Chastain and Phil Surgen's pairing fare at the Martinsville Speedway?Trackhouse Racing's Ross Chastain during the qualifying for the South Point 400 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. - Source: ImagnRoss Chastain became a race winner under Phil Surgen's guidance. The pair have won six races together so far, with the opportunity to win one more still on the cards.Though Chastian was unable to make it through to the Round of 8, and ultimately left him out for the Cup Series title, the pair have still had strong races almost every race weekend. This was even witnessed at the Martinsville Speedway, where he started 13th and was even a lap down at one stage.But the strategic calls made by Phil Surgen helped the 32-year-old get back into the game to ultimately secure a fourth-place finish at the checkered flag. Reflecting on his race, Chastain said (via NBC Sports):"We were getting beat up pretty bad. We went a lap down; made some good adjustments when we took the wave around. It was a free pit stop, per say, later and Phil Surgen (crew chief) did a bunch of adjustments and it brought the car back to life. We caught that caution, which took us from around 10th into the top-five. I think we just watched William Byron cement himself into the championship race."Ross Chastain has participated in 143 races at Trackhouse Racing so far.
