RFK Racing
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 GT 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.
Owner(s)
Cup Series:
6. Brad Keselowski
17. Chris Buescher
60. David Ragan, Cam Waters, Joey Hand (part-time)
Cup Series:
6. Castrol, King's Hawaiian, Solomon Plumbing, Consumer Cellular, BlueForge Alliance, Fastenal, Esperion Therapeutics, Elk Grove Manufacturing & Technology Expo, Socios.com
17. Fastenal, BlueForge Alliance, Esperion Therapeutics, Fifth Third Bank, Castrol, TravelCenters of America, Socios.com
60. BlueForge Alliance, AUKUS
Cup Series:
1988 Daytona 500 (Daytona)
Xfinity Series:
1992 Goody's 300 (Daytona)
Camping World Truck Series:
1995 Heartland Tailgate 175 (Topeka)
ARCA Re/Max Series:
2005 Advance Discount Auto Parts 200 (Daytona)
Cup Series:
2024 USA Today 301 (Loudon)
Xfinity Series:
2018 Ford EcoBoost 300 (Homestead)
Camping World Truck Series:
2009 Ford 200 (Homestead)
ARCA Re/Max Series:
2008 Hantz Group 200 (Toledo)
Total: 2,354
Cup Series: 1,245
Xfinity Series: 726
Camping World Truck Series: 353
ARCA Re/Max Series: 30
Total: 333
Cup Series: 142
Xfinity Series: 137
Camping World Truck Series: 50
ARCA Re/Max Series: 4
Total: 235
Cup Series: 91
Xfinity Series: 96
Camping World Truck Series: 45
ARCA Re/Max Series: 3
The team was originally Roush Racing and was renamed Roush Fenway Racing in 2007 when John W. Henry and the Fenway Sports Group became co-owners and RFK Racing in 2022 when Brad Keselowski became a co-owner.
Since its inception, Roush has competed exclusively in Ford brand automobiles. The team also operates Roush-Yates Engines, which provides engines for most Ford teams in NASCAR and ARCA.[1][2]
History[edit]
Roush Racing was founded by Jack Roush, former employee of the Ford Motor Company and founder of Roush Performance . Prior to entering NASCAR competition, Roush had competed and won championships in various drag racing and sports car racing series since the mid-1960s, including the NHRA, SCCA Trans-Am Series, IMSA GT Championship, and the 24 Hours of Daytona. The racing business was originally a small branch of co-owner Jack Roush's successful automotive engineering and road-racing equipment business based in Livonia, Michigan. Early Roush drivers included Tommy Kendall, Scott Pruett and Willy T. Ribbs.[1][3]
The NASCAR operation, founded in 1988 and based in Concord, North Carolina, has since become the cornerstone and centerpiece of the company.[1] The team won back to back Championships in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2003 and 2004; the final Winston Cup championship with driver Matt Kenseth, and the first Nextel Cup championship with driver Kurt Busch. The team also has amassed many wins and championships in the Nationwide/Xfinity Series and Craftsman Truck Series competition.[4][5]
In 2007, sports investor John W. Henry, owner of the Fenway Sports Group which operates the Boston Red Sox, Liverpool F.C., and the New England Sports Network bought a 50% stake in the team, renamed Roush Fenway Racing. Jack Roush continues to head day-to-day operations of the team.[6]
Roush restarted its road racing program in 2006, called Roush Road Racing (previously Roush Performance Racing or Roush Performance). The team fielded the No. 61 Ford Mustang in the IMSA Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge and Rolex Sports Car Series for Billy Johnson and Jack Roush's son, Jack Roush Jr., and since 2014 fields the No. 60 Mustang in the Pirelli World Challenge sponsored by Roush Performance and driven by Roush, Jr. Since 2015, the team has been fielded in a partnership with Capaldi Racing, moving from the Roush Fenway shops in North Carolina to Michigan near Roush Performance headquarters.[7][8][9][10]
After several months of speculation, Roush-Fenway announced on July 20, 2021, at the NASCAR Hall of Fame that the 2010 Nationwide Series and 2012 Sprint Cup Series Champion Brad Keselowski would depart from Team Penske after the 2021 season to join the organization as a driver (replacing Ryan Newman in the No. 6) and co-owner.
Aerospace industry[edit]
Roush became involved in the aerospace industry in the 2010s. In April 2015, United Launch Alliance announced that they were contracting with Roush Racing to produce the lightweight internal combustion engine to be used to power the long-life on orbit system of the Advanced Cryogenic Evolved Stage to be flown in the 2020s as the second stage of the Vulcan launch vehicle.[48]