Meet the 2025-26 System Leads Driving Cardinal Formula Racing's Success
At Cardinal Formula Racing, a "System Lead" plays a crucial role in overseeing and managing a specific subsystem of the racecar. This individual guides their team through the design, development, and integration of the subsystem, ensuring it aligns with the car's overall engineering goals each year. Additionally, the System Lead is responsible for balancing these duties with the demands of being a full-time student.
Colin Kaul is the Team Captain and Lead of Business Operations for Cardinal Formula Racing. A dedicated member for the past two years, Colin is pursuing a degree in Marketing with a minor in Professional Sales. As the embodiment of the idea that you don’t have to be a STEM major to make a significant impact in building an FSAE racecar from the ground up each year, Colin showcases the diverse skills that contribute to the team’s success. This is why the team chose him to lead them through the 2024-2025 season. In his role, Colin is responsible for organizing the team, managing planning efforts, and resolving conflicts. He also leads community outreach initiatives, ensuring strong relationships with sponsors and supporters. Additionally, Colin oversees internal operations, fostering clear communication and collaboration within the team to maintain smooth and efficient performance. He continually pushes the team to the redline, driving everyone to shift into the next gear to ensure a race-ready car is built by the end of the school year.
Since Marcus Kainhofer joined Cardinal Formula Racing in the fall of 2022, he has been a prominent member of the team actively collaborating with various systems within the team to pursue overall success. Marcus is the Powertrain Lead for the 2025-26 season, in this position he is responsible for the generation of power sent to the rear wheels. Marcus is at Saginaw Valley State University studying Engineering Technology, Management and Business. Since joining Cardinal Formula Racing Marcus has been a great asset to the team by finding new ways to push the car to its limits while also pursuing high levels of safety and keeping costs down.
Nathan Niestroy is currently the Lead of Project Management & Coordination for Cardinal Formula Racing and has been a member of the team for 3 school years. He is pursuing a degree in Computer Information Systems with minors in Cybersecurity and General Business. Before stepping into his current role, Nathan served as the Lead of Control System Engineering, where he directed the design and optimization of the car’s braking, steering, and shifting systems.
In his current position, Nathan oversees the organization and coordination of the team’s projects, ensuring that engineering, business, and operations efforts remain aligned with competition deadlines. He manages communication across subsystem leads, facilitates scheduling, and tracks progress to keep the team on pace with design, manufacturing, and testing goals. Nathan also mentors newer members in project management practices and contributes to the development of business operations within the team. His leadership helps ensure that both technical and organizational aspects of the team operate efficiently, supporting the successful development of the FSAE car and the team’s competitiveness on the track.
Jacob Johnson is currently the Lead of Aerodynamic Systems Engineering for Cardinal Formula Racing and has been a member of the team for 3 school years. He is pursuing a degree in Mechanical Engineering. In his role, Jacob is responsible for designing, manufacturing, and implementing aerodynamic components such as the front and rear wings, undertray, and sidepods. His work focuses on optimizing downforce, drag reduction, and overall vehicle stability to maximize on-track performance. Jacob collaborates closely with other subsystem leads to ensure the aerodynamic package integrates seamlessly with the car’s chassis, suspension, and composites. In addition to his leadership role, he mentors junior team members in aerodynamic design principles and manufacturing techniques. His contributions play a key role in shaping both the performance and appearance of the car as it competes on the track.
Johnathan Stack is currently the Lead of Suspension Systems Engineering for Cardinal Formula Racing and has been an active member of the team for 3 school years. He is pursuing a degree in Mechanical Engineering. In his role, Johnathan oversees the manufacturing, assembly, tuning, and testing of the FSAE car’s suspension system components. He also works to broaden his knowledge of other subsystems and their integration to gain a comprehensive understanding of the car as a whole. Johnathan collaborates with the team’s leadership to mentor newer members, guiding them through the systems and processes involved in building a racecar. His leadership in suspension engineering helps ensure the car achieves optimal handling, stability, and on-track performance.
Asher Wilton is currently the Chassis Engineering Systems Lead and Chief Engineer for Cardinal Formula Racing. He has been a member of the team for two school years. Asher is pursuing a degree in Mechanical Engineering. In his role, he oversees all engineering operations on the team and coordinates efforts across subsystems. He is also responsible for supervising and performing the assembly of the chassis on the Formula SAE car, ensuring structural integrity and integration with other systems. Asher’s leadership supports collaboration across the team and contributes to the overall performance and reliability of the vehicle.
PJ Lasky is currently the Lead Fabrication Specialist for Cardinal Formula Racing. He has been a member of the team for 1 school year. PJ is pursing a degree in Mechanical Engineering. In his role he oversees the manufacturing and assembly of the vehicles structure and fabricated parts, with a large focus on the welding of components and vehicle structure. He works closely with many systems to determine placement of their components, and any part construction needed to place their components on the chassis.
Alexandra Andres is currently the Lead of Social Media for Cardinal Formula Racing and has been a member of the team for 1 school year. In her role, she manages the team’s social media presence, creating content that highlights engineering progress, team milestones, and competition updates. She oversees branding and digital outreach, ensuring consistent communication across platforms to engage students, alumni, sponsors, and the broader Formula SAE community. Alexandra also collaborates with other subsystem leads to showcase their work, promotes sponsor partnerships, and mentors newer members in digital communication and marketing strategies. Her efforts help build visibility, strengthen connections, and expand support for the team both on and off the track.
Jackson Cousino is currently the Lead of Control System Engineering for Cardinal Formula Racing and has been a member of the team for 2 school years. He is pursuing a degree in Mechanical Engineering. Jackson first contributed to the Powertrain System Engineering Team, where he gained valuable experience with engine and drivetrain integration. In his current role, he leads controls engineering for braking, steering, and shifting systems on the FSAE car. He designs and optimizes control systems to improve performance and safety while developing ergonomic solutions to enhance driver comfort and control. Jackson reports directly to the team captain, mentors junior members in control system engineering, and works closely with other subsystem leads to integrate the controls with the vehicle’s chassis, suspension, and powertrain systems. He also conducts testing and troubleshooting to ensure system reliability and readiness for competition.
Owen White is currently the Lead of Data Acquisition System Engineering on Cardinal Formula Racing. He has been a member on the team for 4 school years. Owen is pursuing a degree in Computer Science. In his role he's leading the development of a data collection system to improve performance of the FSAE racecar. Using techniques learned in class and from former teammates, Owen strives to develop an intuitive and efficient system for data collection over the entirety of the race car. Owen reports directly to the team captain and mentors junior race team members in understanding the importance of data acquisition to a well performing racecar. Owen collaborates with other team leads to integrate the data acquisition system in a robust manner while also testing and troubleshooting to ensure proper collection procedures.
Bryce Kuchar is currently the Lead of Composites Engineering for Cardinal Formula Racing and has been a member of the team for 2 school years. He is pursuing a degree in Mechanical Engineering, with a focus on materials science, manufacturing processes, and structural analysis — all of which directly support his work in composites design and fabrication. In his role, Bryce is responsible for designing and laying up all composite parts used on the car, including the nose cone, sidepods, undertray, and seat. He also oversees the manufacturing and inspection of key safety structures such as the impact attenuator and firewall. Bryce collaborates closely with other subsystem leads to ensure each part meets strict design tolerances and competition regulations, while optimizing for strength, weight, and performance. His contributions directly advance the team’s goals for innovation, safety, and reliability on the track.
Ethan Karpinski is currently the Lead of Electronic Systems Integration for Cardinal Formula Racing and has been an active member of the team for 3 school years. He is pursuing a degree in Electrical Engineering. In his role, Ethan oversees the design and fabrication of all electrical systems responsible for automotive function, including power distribution, wiring harness design, driver information systems, and sensor data transmission. He works closely with other subsystem leads to ensure seamless integration of electronics into data acquisition and driver controls, enabling reliable communication between the driver and the car’s systems. His contributions help maximize vehicle performance, safety, and real-time monitoring on the track.
Ethan Karpinski - Lead, Electronic Systems Integration Eng.
Get to Know the Rest of the Team
Meet the dedicated team members who burn the midnight oil, driving Cardinal Formula Racing to success year after year. Our System Leads are just one gear in the engine that powers Cardinal Formula Racing. Every member brings unique skills and expertise, ensuring peak performance from design to race day. Fueled by passion, precision, and teamwork, our team rises to the challenges of Formula SAE competition, making every lap a testament to our collective effort.
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