Chris Finch, site director of the Purdue Motorsports Engineering Program and professor of professional practice in the School of Mechanical Engineering.

Purdue University in Indianapolis launched on July 1, 2024, ending a long-standing collaboration between Purdue University and Indiana University at what was called Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). Purdue University in Indianapolis is an expansion of Purdue West Lafayette, with multiple locations throughout the city of Indianapolis. It bookends America’s Hard Tech Corridor, which extends from West Lafayette to downtown Indianapolis, and it positions our students, faculty and staff in close proximity to top businesses and leading industries, providing new and unique executive education and internship opportunities.

Among the Purdue faculty in Indianapolis is Chris Finch, site director of the Purdue Motorsports Engineering Program and professor of professional practice in the School of Mechanical Engineering. Professor Finch has a 30-year professional history in motorsports and got started even earlier than that — he’s been working on cars since he was eight years old. We sat down with him for a chat.

Race Shop

Motorsports Engineering sounds like a very unique program.

It is. We are the only accredited motorsports engineering program in the nation. A lot of universities have what’s called a Formula SAE program or may offer a couple of special classes like vehicle dynamics and aerodynamics within the mechanical engineering program leading to a motorsports certificate. Our program is housed in the School of Mechanical Engineering at Purdue University and only offered at the Indianapolis location. It's the first time in its 143-year history that the School of Mechanical Engineering has offered a second degree path within the school. It leads to a Bachelor of Science degree in motorsports engineering. We also offer a five-year option, where you can receive a dual degree in mechanical engineering as well.

Site director responsibilities keep you busy?

You bet. I'm in charge of the undergraduate curriculum and have oversight of the faculty and staff and all the administrative responsibilities that go with that. Part of those responsibilities is getting the program accredited, dealing with the Registrar's office to make sure that how the courses are being delivered is being advertised in the catalog properly, and industry outreach. After 30 years of working in the motorsports industry, I have a lot of industry contacts. We conduct a sophomore year seminar, where we bring in industry people to talk to students. We have industry people involved with our senior year design projects. I teach courses in vehicle dynamics, motorsports aerodynamics, data acquisition (or systems engineering) motorsports design, one of our Practicum classes and race engineering. I’m also involved with moving our lab — we call it a race shop — to the Dallara IndyCar factory, which is located right by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana.

What’s the education curriculum like?

We want to convey the message that the industry wants good solid engineers who understand the engineering sciences but don’t lose sight of the practical applications, in this case in motorsports. A really good motorsports engineer is someone who’s technically curious. We want our students to become good problem solvers. We want them to be question askers, not just question answerers. When they become a motorsports engineer, no one is going to be asking them questions anymore. They have to start asking the questions themselves, creating what-if scenarios to meet a variety of challenges. The curriculum itself is a mixture of core mechanical engineering courses and motorsports-specific instruction in things like vehicle dynamics, vehicle aerodynamics, systems engineering (the electronic backbone of the car), race engineering, and so on. We also have two classes that we call Practicum One and Practicum Two, which are similar to an internship but within the structure of the class. Students work on real problems, experience the stressors in dealing with team leaders and tech directors and vendors, and engage their engineering skills to meet deadlines. These classes show them how, when you’re an engineer in this industry, there are going to be topics that you must teach yourself. You’re not going to have an instructor around all the time. We also have actual internships and co-ops, where students go out and work for various motorsports companies.

How important is it to be in Indianapolis and be affiliated with Purdue Engineering?

Indiana is recognized as one of the two leading national motorsports economies, along with North Carolina, and then there is England, Germany, and Italy internationally. Indianapolis itself, with its ties to the Indy 500 and the U.S. Nationals, is the heart of American IndyCar open-wheel racing and NHRA (National Hot Rod Association) professional drag racing. An entire supply chain of Tier 1, 2 and 3 businesses in the local area serve both professional and amateur motorsports. It’s estimated that there are more than 400 motorsports-related firms in the region producing engines, brakes, dampers, springs and other racing products. The Performance Racing Industry is also based in Speedway, Indiana. Being located here simplifies engagement with motorsports companies. Some of the race teams have told me that they like to draw from us for talent because the students are local and it’s a 20- to 30-minute drive to work, which is important when you’re mixing study and work. As for Purdue Engineering in West Lafayette, it’s a really big deal to be part of the School of Mechanical Engineering. Everyone recognizes the strengths and prestige of the school. With our affiliation there are now a lot more resources, funding and guidance available to us and virtually limitless opportunities for collaboration in technical matters. For example, we recently visited Herrick Labs and Zucrow Labs in West Lafayette to explore synergies for multidisciplinary collaboration.

What was your path like prior to present day? What first got you interested in motorsports?

I’ve been working on cars since I was a kid. In my senior year of high school, I had my own hot rod that I worked on -- a 1974 Plymouth Road Runner that I would drag race as a street machine. My dad and I traveled around the Midwest and down to Florida so I could race go-karts. I got my bachelors and master’s in mechanical engineering at Purdue, with the aim of strengthening my expertise in crucial areas of racing like fluid mechanics, numerical methods, advanced dynamics, and so forth. During that time, I was in the Purdue Grand Prix Club as crew chief, then served as club vice president and president. When I graduated, I started working for motorsports companies, first as a composite specialist, then a front-end mechanic, then data acquisition engineer and eventually as an assistant, and then senior race engineer. This, by the way, is something the motorsports students really respond to. I’ve spent lots of time at the racetrack, worked with the racing teams and actively raced myself. A lot of the content we teach, and that I teach in my classes, doesn't come from a book. It comes from my personal experiences racing and interacting with the motorsport teams and top engineers in the industry.

What about your future? What are you looking to accomplish in this field?

I like to ask myself the question: what would success look like over the next 10 years? The first step is to just make the school better. That’s the nature of being a race engineer, you’re constantly optimizing. I also want to open more engagement with the NASCAR race teams down in Charlotte. And then the next big win would be to get our students and program recognized internationally in Formula One. I want the F1 teams to be thinking about Purdue University.

What about your spare time?

I keep saying to my wife, I have to do something that’s a little cathartic. I have a small shop at home where I’m working on a 1929 sedan and trying to turn it into a hot rod. I always come back to the term, “technically curious.” It’s the way I am, and it’s a love-hate relationship for me. For example, there are so many interesting topics I would love to create a course for, but unfortunately, I can’t do all of them. I’m just really curious about what works and the engineering behind it. But I just don’t have the time to learn everything.