Jack Roush

Last updated
Jack Roush
Jack Roush (44846515832).jpg
Roush in 2018
Born (1942-04-19) April 19, 1942 (age 82)
Covington, Kentucky, U.S.
OccupationNASCAR team owner
Employer Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing (owner)

Jack Roush (born Jackson Earnest Roush [1] [ full citation needed ] on April 19, 1942) is the founder, CEO, and co-owner of Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing, a NASCAR team headquartered in Concord, North Carolina, and is chairman of Roush Enterprises.

Contents

Roush Enterprises is the parent company for Roush Racing as well as Roush Industries, a freelance engineering firm; Roush Performance, an automotive aftermarket development company; and ROUSH CleanTech, a manufacturer of propane autogas fuel systems, all headquartered in Livonia, Michigan. His companies employ more than 2,000 people throughout North America and Europe.

Rarely seen without his trademark Panama hat, Roush is known on the NASCAR circuit as "The Cat in the Hat".

Roush was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame on April 27, 2006. [2] In 2008, Roush was elected to the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame and was inducted on September 13, 2010, in Novi. On May 23, 2018, Roush was selected as one of the five inductees for the 2019 NASCAR Hall of Fame class. Roush was also inducted into the EAA Warbirds of America Hall of Fame on November 8, 2018, for his contributions to warbirds and the warbird community. [3] On November 3, 2022, he was inducted into the SEMA (Specialty Aftermarket Market Association) Hall of Fame.

Early years

Klaus Ludwig drove the Roush-Zakspeed Ford Mustang Turbo during the 1981 and 1982 Camel GT race seasons. Roushmustang.jpg
Klaus Ludwig drove the Roush-Zakspeed Ford Mustang Turbo during the 1981 and 1982 Camel GT race seasons.

Roush was born in Covington, Kentucky and grew up in Manchester, Ohio. He earned a mathematics degree with a minor in physics from Berea College, and a master's in scientific mathematics from Eastern Michigan University. [4] [5]

Roush worked at Ford after graduating in 1966, and left in 1970 to pursue his own company. He worked for a year at Chrysler before leaving to open his own engineering business. Roush then went on to partner with Wayne Gapp to race in NHRA, IHRA, and AHRA drag racing events.

Throughout much of his career Roush offered for sale the parts that he developed for his own team. In 1982, he partnered with German firm Zakspeed to develop road racing vehicles for Ford. This led to a very successful run in the Trans-Am series and IMSA Camel GT in the 1980s and early 90s. In 1988, Roush moved south and founded a NASCAR Winston Cup Series team with driver Mark Martin.

NASCAR

Roush at the Milwaukee Mile in 2009 JackRoushMilwaukee2009.jpg
Roush at the Milwaukee Mile in 2009

RFK Racing currently fields two cars in the NASCAR Cup Series (driven by Chris Buescher, and Brad Keselowski). The Xfinity team was shut down at the end of the 2018 season. Roush has won eight championships as a car owner in NASCAR's top three series: two Cup titles (2003 with Matt Kenseth and 2004 with Kurt Busch), five Xfinity Series titles (2002 with Greg Biffle, 2007 with Carl Edwards, 2011–2012 with Stenhouse Jr., and 2015 with Chris Buescher and a Camping World Truck Series title in 2000 with Biffle. Roush has two Daytona 500 victories as a car owner, both with driver Kenseth in 2009 and 2012. Since Roush entered NASCAR competition his team has 283 wins and 212 poles. [6]

Opposition of Toyota

Throughout his NASCAR career Roush has been an outspoken opponent of Toyota's NASCAR operations. [7] Roush is vocally loyal to Ford [8] [9] and throughout his career has made cracks against Toyota being in NASCAR. In 2007 Roush entered a verbal feud with Toyota team leader Lee White during the Toyota controversy following the rocket fuel incident.

Roush Performance

A Roush-engineered Ford Mustang Probe IMSA GTP car. Ford Mustang Probe GTP.jpg
A Roush-engineered Ford Mustang Probe IMSA GTP car.

Roush Performance sells a variety of vehicles, parts, and high-performance crate engines. Perhaps best known for the line of upfitted Ford Mustangs, they have more than 16,000 vehicles on the roads today. Typical improvements on the base chassis include appearance packages (body kit, wheels, etc.), suspension and handling upgrades, and horsepower boosts through the use of a ROUSHcharger supercharger system. ROUSH Performance sells versions of their Mustang with as much as 775 horsepower and 610 lb-ft of torque. [10]

ROUSH CleanTech

ROUSH CleanTech designs, engineers, manufactures and installs propane autogas fuel systems for Ford vehicles and Blue Bird school buses. RoushCleanTech logo copy.jpg
ROUSH CleanTech designs, engineers, manufactures and installs propane autogas fuel systems for Ford vehicles and Blue Bird school buses.

By 2008, Roush expanded into offering propane-autogas-fueled vehicles designed for fleet usage and in 2010, formed ROUSH CleanTech. [11] The company designs, engineers, manufactures and installs clean technology fuel systems, including propane autogas and electric propulsion technology for medium-duty Ford commercial vehicles and Type A and Type C Blue Bird Corporation school buses

Plane crashes

Roush at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2015 Jack Roush-RSR 3.7.15.JPG
Roush at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2015

On April 19, 2002 (his 60th birthday), Roush almost lost his life when his private plane, an Aircam, went down in a lake in Troy, Alabama. [12] Roush was underwater and unconscious, suffering from a concussion, when Larry Hicks, a retired Marine in a nearby boat, rescued Roush from under water, pulled him to safety, and administered CPR. Shortly afterwards, Roush was flown to UAB Hospital in Birmingham, Alabama, where he was treated for a head injury, broken ribs, and a shattered left leg. Hicks was injured as a result of the rescue, suffering cramps in both his arms and first degree chemical burns on his body from the fuel. [13]

On July 27, 2010, Roush crashed his Hawker Beechcraft Premier 390 jet (registration N6JR) during an approach to the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh airshow in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, in the late afternoon. [14] He walked out of the plane and was taken to a nearby hospital. [15] His condition was listed at serious but stable that evening. On August 3, Roush was upgraded to fair condition. [15] On August 13, Roush made his first at track appearance since the incident at the Michigan International Speedway. During that time he confirmed that he fractured his back, broke his jaw, and lost vision in his left eye as a result. [16] The National Transportation Safety Board attributed the cause of the crash to pilot error, specifically, "pilot's decision not to advance the engines to takeoff power during the go-around, as stipulated by the airplane flight manual, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall at a low altitude." [17]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Kenseth</span> American racing driver (born 1972)

Matthew Roy Kenseth is an American former professional stock car racing driver who currently serves as the competition advisor for Legacy Motor Club in the NASCAR Cup Series. He last competed part-time in the Superstar Racing Experience (SRX), driving the No. 8 car. He also currently competes often in Slinger Speedway, where he holds the record for most Slinger Nationals wins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greg Biffle</span> American racing driver (born 1969)

Gregory Jack Biffle, nicknamed "the Biff", is an American semi-retired professional stock car racing driver.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RFK Racing</span> NASCAR racing team

Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing, doing business as RFK Racing, is an American professional stock car organization that currently competes in the NASCAR Cup Series. One of NASCAR's largest racing teams in the 2000s and early 2010s, Roush formerly ran teams in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, ARCA Menards Series, Trans-Am Series and IMSA Camel GT. The team currently fields the No. 6 Ford Mustang Dark Horse full-time for driver/co-owner Brad Keselowski and the No. 17 Mustang full-time for Chris Buescher as well as the No. 60 part-time for multiple drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2006 Food City 500</span> Motor car race

The 2006 Food City 500 was an event held at Bristol Motor Speedway on March 26, 2006, as the fifth race in the 2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2007 Dodge Dealers 400</span> 28th race of 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup series

The 2007 Dodge Dealers 400 was the twenty-eighth stock car race of the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series and the second in the ten-race season-ending Chase for the Nextel Cup. It was held on September 23, 2007 at Dover International Speedway in Dover, Delaware before a crowd of 137,000. Roush Fenway Racing driver Carl Edwards won the 400-lap race starting from fifteenth position. His teammate Greg Biffle finished second and Dale Earnhardt Jr. took third.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 UAW-Dodge 400</span> Stock car race

The 2008 UAW-Dodge 400 was the third stock car race of the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. It was held on March 2, 2008, before a crowd of 153,000 in Las Vegas, Nevada, at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, an intermediate track that holds NASCAR races. The 267-lap race was won by Carl Edwards of the Roush Fenway Racing team, who started from second position. Hendrick Motorsports driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished second and Edwards's teammate Greg Biffle was third.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 Aaron's 499</span> Motor car race

The 2008 Aaron's 499 was the ninth race in the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup season. It was held on April 27, 2008, at Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Alabama.

Robert Douglas Yates is a race car engine builder, former NASCAR team owner, and mechanic. He is the son of championship team owner and NASCAR Hall of Fame member Robert Yates and formerly operated Yates Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series. Yates currently is the President and CEO of Roush Yates Engines, the primary builder of Ford engines in the top-two NASCAR series ; as well as Ford Performance teams in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge Series. Yates has a wife, Whitney, and four children.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ricky Stenhouse Jr.</span> American racing driver (born 1987)

Richard Lynn Stenhouse Jr. is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 47 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for JTG Daugherty Racing. Stenhouse was the 2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series Rookie of the Year, and won back-to-back Nationwide Series championships in 2011 and 2012. Stenhouse was the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Rookie of the Year. He is the 2023 Daytona 500 winner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series</span> 64th season of NASCAR stock-car racing

The 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series was the 64th season of NASCAR professional stock car racing in the United States and the 41st modern-era Cup season. The season started on February 18, 2012, at Daytona International Speedway, with the Budweiser Shootout, followed by the Daytona 500 on February 27. The season continued with the Chase for the Sprint Cup beginning on September 16 at Chicagoland Speedway and concluded with the Ford EcoBoost 400 on November 18 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2011 Kobalt Tools 400</span> Motor car race

The 2011 Kobalt Tools 400 was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race that was held on March 6, 2011 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Clark County, Nevada. Contested over 267 laps, it was the third race of the 2011 season. Carl Edwards, driving for Roush Fenway Racing, won the race. Tony Stewart finished second and Juan Pablo Montoya finished third.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Buescher</span> American racing driver (born 1992)

Christopher William Buescher is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 17 Ford Mustang Dark Horse for RFK Racing. He is the 2012 ARCA Racing Series and 2015 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion and the cousin of 2012 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion James Buescher.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryan Reed</span> American racing driver (born 1993)

Ryan Austin Payton Reed is an American professional stock car racing driver and driver coach. He last competed part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 66 Chevrolet Camaro for MBM Motorsports. After Roush closed down their Xfinity Series team after the 2018 season, Reed has mostly been without a ride in NASCAR since then and while in that situation, Reed has worked since 2020 as the driver coach for Jack Wood, who competes full-time in the ARCA Menards Series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 NASCAR Xfinity Series</span> 34th season of second-tier NASCAR Xfinity Series

The 2015 NASCAR Xfinity Series was the 34th season of the NASCAR Xfinity Series, the second-tier professional stock car racing series sanctioned by NASCAR in the United States. It began with the Alert Today Florida 300 at Daytona International Speedway on February 21, and ended with the Ford EcoBoost 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 21. Chase Elliott entered the 2015 season as the defending series champion. Chris Buescher won the championship. The 2015 season marked two major changes; Comcast's cable brand Xfinity replaced Nationwide Insurance as title sponsor of the series, while Fox, Fox Sports 1, NBC and NBCSN broadcast the series' races, replacing the ESPN networks and ABC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carl Edwards</span> American racing driver (born 1979)

Carl Michael Edwards Jr. is an American former professional stock car racing driver. He last competed in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, driving the No. 19 Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing. Prior to that, he drove the No. 99 Ford Fusion for Roush Fenway Racing. He won the 2007 NASCAR Busch Series championship and nearly won the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series title, but lost by a tiebreaker to Tony Stewart. Edwards is known for doing a backflip off his car to celebrate his victories. In 2023, he was named one of NASCAR's 75 Greatest Drivers, and in 2025, he will be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 NASCAR Xfinity Series</span> 36th season of second-tier NASCAR Xfinity Series

The 2017 NASCAR Xfinity Series was the 36th season of the NASCAR Xfinity Series, the second-tier professional stock car racing series sanctioned by NASCAR in the United States. The season began with the PowerShares QQQ 300 at Daytona International Speedway and ended with the Ford EcoBoost 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Daniel Suárez was the defending drivers' champion while Toyota was the defending manufacturer's champion, although Suárez couldn't defend his title due to him racing in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series</span> 37th NASCAR Xfinity racing season

The 2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series was the 37th season of the NASCAR Xfinity Series, a stock car racing series sanctioned by NASCAR in the United States. William Byron won the 2017 championship with JR Motorsports, but moved up to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Tyler Reddick, who replaced Byron in the No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro SS, won the drivers' championship. Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste won the owners' championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billy Johnson (racing driver)</span> American racing driver

William Ryan Johnson is an American professional sports car and stock car racing driver. He is the 2016 IMSA Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge GS champion. He currently competes part-time in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and FIA World Endurance Championship, driving for Ford Chip Ganassi Racing UK in the No. 66 Ford GT.

Founded in 1988, the NASCAR program is built around having multiple cars and providing engine, engineering and race car build services to other NASCAR teams fielding Ford branded vehicles. The multi-team aspect of the company allows for information and resources to be shared across the enterprise, improving the performance of all of the teams. Since the 2004 season, engines for the cars have been provided by Roush-Yates Engines, a partnership between Roush Fenway Racing and now-closed rival Yates Racing, with Doug Yates as head engine builder. Roush-Yates also provides engines, cars and parts to other Cup teams, including Wood Brothers Racing, Team Penske, Stewart-Haas Racing, and Front Row Motorsports.

Roush Fenway Racing's Xfinity Series operation began in 1992 with the No. 60 driven by Mark Martin. The No. 60 team has been dominant throughout its history, amassing many wins with Martin; three driver's championships with Greg Biffle in 2002, Carl Edwards in 2007, and Chris Buescher in 2015; and an owner's championship with Edwards in 2011. The No. 6 team won back-to-back driver's championships in 2011 & 2012 with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Following the departures of Ryan Reed, Chase Briscoe, and Austin Cindric, Roush's Xfinity program was closed following the 2018 season.

References

  1. ↑ FAA Records
  2. ↑ "Jack Roush at the International Motorsports Hal of Fame". Archived from the original on 2013-12-28.
  3. ↑ "EAA Honors Five Aviators with Halls of Fame Induction on Nov. 8". 12 November 2018. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
  4. ↑ Miller, Jason Lee (15 January 2019). "Distinguished Alumnus Award: Jack Roush '64 – Berea College Magazine". magazine.berea.edu. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
  5. ↑ Story, Mark (13 July 2018). "The Kentucky college that launched a NASCAR icon to the Hall of Fame". kentucky.com. Archived from the original on 8 May 2020. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
  6. ↑ "Jack Roush Bio at RoushFenway". Archived from the original on 2009-10-14.
  7. ↑ "Jack Roush declares war on Toyota in NASCAR". 24 January 2015.
  8. ↑ "Newton: Ford owner Roush, Toyota exec White in war of words". 7 March 2008.
  9. ↑ "Ford Continue Collaboration with Roush Fenway Racing". 21 November 2012.
  10. ↑ "2017 ROUSH P-51 Mustang".
  11. ↑ "ROUSH CleanTech: Three years of steady growth, Green Fleet magazine, January 6, 2014". Archived from the original on January 6, 2014. Retrieved January 6, 2014.
  12. ↑ "Upgraded Database System".
  13. ↑ "Ford Jack Roush Update". Archived from the original on 2010-08-01.
  14. ↑ "Jack Roush Crashes Plane In Wisconsin". 28 July 2010.
  15. 1 2 Bromberg, Nick (July 28, 2010). "Jack Roush injured in plane crash in Wisconsin". Yahoo! Sports . Retrieved 28 July 2010.
  16. ↑ "Roush returns to track bearing scars from crash".
  17. ↑ "NTSB Report".
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.