Photo – Ford Racing
For years Jack Roush and Roush-Fenway Racing were a team that was a heavy favorite in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Roush won its first championship in 2003 with Matt Kenseth and then added another championship in 2004 with Kurt Busch. They were a powerhouse team from 2000-2009 that was able to field five competitive race cars and the only team in the Sprint Cup Series to do so.
Since 2013 Roush Fenway racing has achieved only five wins between three different race teams. Four of those wins came from former Sprint Cup Series runner-up Carl Edwards who has moved to Joe Gibbs Racing to start the 2015 season. The other victory came from 2005 runner-up Gregg Biffle at Jack Roush’s home track, Michigan, in 2013.
Quite frankly since the end of the 2012 season the team has looked awful and Sunday’s Autism Speaks at Dover was indicative of just that point. Involved in an incident was Trevor Bayne while Ricky Stenhouse Jr had problems with his car from the drop of the green flag and Greg Biffle found himself caught up in a scuffle and finished a team high of 17th-place.
This race team was once a contender at the track week in and week out. A team that was once led by now NASCAR hall of fame candidate and 40 race winner Mark Martin. A team that has a had maybe the biggest decline at the Sprint Cup Series level. It’s no secret that they’ve struggled with the Gen-6 car.
So what does this team do?
Well, to start, I feel that the organization is in good hands in terms of driving talent especially in the Xfinity Series. Looking at the lineup I see Trevor Bayne being replaced in the No. 6 car when his contract is over in 2016 or even sooner. I see Greg Biffle also either being replaced or retiring from the No. 16 team when his contract is up in 2016. Ricky Stenhouse Jr in the No. 17 is a guy who I feel deserves more time, as I feel he can do big things when he has an adequate race car. Remember this a kid who won two straight championships in the Xfinity Series, and from a talent standpoint this kid ‘has it.’
Going back to Trevor Bayne I see him replaced by superior talent in either Chris Buescher or Darrell Wallace Jr. I was never overly optimistic with Bayne’s future in the Sprint Cup Series even when he was in the Xfinity Series, and I feel that Buescher and Wallace are talents that Roush cannot afford to lose, moving Bayne aside.
So my future lineup at Roush-Fenway looks as such: Chris Buescher in the No. 6, Darrell Wallace Jr. in the No. 16 and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. in the 17.
Great! Now does that solve the problem?
Not quite yet.
Now let’s think about the cars that Jack Roush is throwing on the track. Are these cars that anybody coming in can succeed right away? Absolutely not.
Like I said Stenhouse is a two-time Xfinity Series Champion and Greg Biffle is a former runner-up in the Sprint Cup Series, so I feel that the emphasis of a problem is not mainly on the drivers.
It’s the manufacturer.
Will we ever see Jack Roush leave Ford?
No, without question, absolutely not.
So what does Roush Fenway Racing do?
The answer in my opinion is with the other powerhouse of the Ford teams that is doing so well in contrast to the Roush Fenway organization. Team Penske Motorsports. Team Penske has been on a tear as of late with Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski, and I’ll even throw Ryan Blaney as well. Personally I see more driving talent at Team Penske Motorsports but not enough to explain the difference between the two teams.
Team work is the answer.
Being both Ford teams the two organizations need to work together and convince each other that working with each other, can help each race team in their own specific way.
At this point, Team Penske looks a hair behind Hendrick Motorsports, and Joe Gibbs Racing. Maybe the bit of information Roush-Fenway can share pushes them toward becoming serious championship contenders.
For Roush Fenway having the help from another Ford team will push them back to the competitiveness we know they’re capable of achieving.This team is an excellent group of young drivers and I feel that working with Ford and Team Penske will get them back to Sprint Cup Series excellence.
Whenever and ‘if’ that happens I think the Roush-Fenway Racing teams will return to form. As I’ve been saying, they need some sort of partnership to take down the Hendrick Motorsports monopoly.
It’ll be interesting to see what steps Roush Fenway takes to make sure they have a successful future as for some time now, they are dramatically behind the rest of the big money teams .
The only reason I could see Trevor replaced, since he has a sponsor, is MS reasons. Back in November 2013, I saw a link on our homepage “NASCAR star faces MS battle”. I’d hate to see Trevor’s career over that way, because he’s a good guy. However, due to Biffle’s age, he’ll perhaps retire from full-time driving soon, like 2016, as you mentioned. I agree Bubba Wallace could easily be his replacement. There’s talk of Roush going back to 4 cars next year, to give Buescher a full-time Cup ride, it seems due to the mention of him in the Cup next year. You’re right about the Roush cars not being good. It’s the chassis, IMO because people talk about ill-handling cars and Roush being behind in the setups/ having engineering issues.
The main problem with RFR is Jack Roush. When he took over as Ford’s main clearinghouse for NASCAR, he managed to run Ford into the ground in the process. He’s micromanaged his teams to the point of oblivion, & that’s why he lost both Kenseth & Edwards. The delicious irony in this is that both defected to Toyota, whom Roush hates with a white hot passion. His constant meddling has been the downfall of his teams.
Case in point: In 1992, when Jeff Gordon was running for Ford in the BGN Series, driving for Bill Davis, Jack discovered that Davis, (& consequently Ford), didn’t have Jeff under contract. Jack calls up John Bickford, Jeff’s stepfather & his agent at that time to offer him a ride with Roush, making an end run around Bill Davis, who thought Ford was going to work with him in signing Jeff. In the course of the conversation with Roush, Bickford says that they want to include Ray Evernham, who was Jeff’s crew chief at that time. Roush says he doesn’t let his drivers pick their crew chiefs to which Bickford says that it’s a package deal, no Ray, no Jeff. Roush agains states his position, to which Bickford thanks him, says there’s no deal & hangs up. Jack calls him back asking why Bickford hung up on him, (the nerve! After all, he is Jack Roush!), to which Bickford told him that since Roush wouldn’t agree to the package, there was no need to discuss it any further, the conversation was over & hung up again. Shortly after that, Rick called Bickford up, found out Jeff wasn’t signed to Ford, (a massive oversight on Ford’s part, never assume someone is going to be loyal to you like that), wanted to sign Jeff & was told the same thing regarding Evernham. Rick had no problem with that deal, made an offer, & Jeff went to HMS.
Thank goodness for Roger Penske realigning with Ford, as he has proven to be their savior in NASCAR. Why do you think RPM, who had their shop right across from RFR, moved back to their bigger shop & cut their ties with Roush & aligned with Penske? RPM was 100% Roush, to the point where the cars were completely built & prepped in the RFR shops, even to wrapping them, & merely pushed across the street to RPM, ready to run. Now RPM has their own destiny, & their cars got more competitive,
The Wood Brothers have also cut ties with RFR & gone to Penske as well, in an attempt to improve their struggling fortunes.
The best overall driver RFR has in Cup right now is Stenhouse. Bayne was a one race wonder with a fluke win, & as it always happens with fluke wins by an underdog the media plays them up like they’re the greatest thing since sliced bread, the average fan laps up the media Kool-Aid, & then we discover that the greatest thing since sliced bread is missing half it’s loaf. Biffle is simply at the end of his competitive career. Yes RFR has two potential stars in Wallace & Buescher, but I personally think both would be far better served by getting away from RFR as they move up.
I look forward to the day when Jack Roush is no longer involved with the sport, That will be a banner day for NASCAR, his driver & Ford in general.