The Chase - Roush Fenway Looks To Make Championship History

CONCORD, Nov. 17, 2011: This weekend Jack Roush and Roush Fenway Racing will attempt to parlay one of its most successful seasons into NASCAR Championship history. RFR leads both the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series point standings with only the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway standing in the way of the team and history.

“Two-Thousand and eleven has been one of our best years ever,” said team co-owner Jack Roush. “We have had great technical support from Ford. (General Manager) Robbie (Reiser) and (lead engineer) Chip Bolin have done a nice job marshaling the engineering as well as the manufacturing to make nice cars. The drivers have done a good job and the crew chiefs have done a great job.”

Ricky Stenhouse Jr., leads the NNS points by 41, having all but wrapped up the title. On the Sprint Cup side, Carl Edwards has a far less margin of error; leading Tony Stewart by just three points. In addition, Roush Fenway trails by just a single point in the Nationwide Series owner’s championship. All this makes for a climatic weekend for NASCAR’s winningest racing organization.

“I am anxious to close the deal on the Cup side with Carl and to win in the Nationwide title with Ricky,” added Roush. “We’ve actually got three titles out there we are competing for. The Ford Manufacturing title has already been secured for the Mustang. The driver championship for Ricky Stenhouse appears very likely, and of course the owners championship (Nationwide) for Roush Fenway is also out there in reach for us.

“I’m hopeful that a week from now we will be talking about how wonderful it was to win four titles this year.”

Roush also adds that given Edwards’ stellar history at Homestead, which includes wins in two of the last three Sprint Cup races at the 1.5-mile track, he is pleased to enter the finale with a three-point advantage.

“When I was looking at Tony winning two races recently and the momentum he had I felt that three points didn’t make any difference at all,” said Roush. “But with one race in front of us going into Homestead and with as good as Carl has been there, I would take the three points and feel like Carl has got the advantage.

“I’m optimistic. I’d rather have the three points in our favor, rather than be disadvantaged by that on the Cup side.”