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.jpg) Bugarewicz atISM Raceway in 2018 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Michael Matthew Bugarewicz |
| Born | (1982-01-22)January 22, 1982 (age 43) Lehighton, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Penn State University |
| Occupation | Interim crew chief |
| Years active | 2016-present |
| Sport | |
| Country | United States |
| Sport | Motor racing |
| League | NASCAR Cup Series |
Michael Matthew Bugarewicz (pronounced "bug-uh-rav-itch"; born January 22, 1982), nicknamed"Buga",[1] is an American formerNASCAR team executive who worked forStewart–Haas Racing as their performance director. He also is currently serving as their interim crew chief for their No. 14 car in theNASCAR Cup Series driven byChase Briscoe. He previously served as the permanent crew chief of that car from 2016 to 2019 when it was driven byTony Stewart andClint Bowyer as well as from 2020 to 2021 on their No. 10 car driven byAric Almirola.
Prior to being a crew chief, he was the engineer forKevin Harvick's No. 4 team at SHR, where he won the2014 championship with him as well as a second-place points finish in2015, which included a remarkable thirteen second-place race finishes and 28 top-10 race finishes for Harvick and the team that year. He currently serves as director of performance for SHR.[2] In 2016, he was promoted to crew chief for SHR's No. 14 team, where he worked withTony Stewart in2016 andClint Bowyer[3][4] from2017 to2019. In 2020, he became the crew chief for SHR's No. 10 Ford Mustang driven byAric Almirola forStewart–Haas Racing in a swap withJohnny Klausmeier, who moved from the No. 10 car to the No. 14 car.[5] He was promoted to Performance Director for SHR in 2022.
On May 31, 2023, NASCAR issued an L3 penalty toChase Briscoe and the No. 14Stewart–Haas Racing team after a counterfeit part was found on the car after it was taken to the NASCAR R&D Center after theCoca-Cola 600. Crew chiefJohnny Klausmeier was suspended for the next six races (Gateway, Sonoma, Nashville, the Chicago Street Course, Atlanta and New Hampshire)[6] The team decided not to appeal the penalty and Bugarewicz returned to crew chief for SHR for Briscoe in these six races.[7]
