Roush Performance

IN THE BEGINNING

Jack Roush began his automotive career as an engine development engineer for Ford Motor Company in 1964. He soon discovered a passion for drag racing and formed his own team in 1970 with partner Wayne Gapp. The duo went on to win multiple championships in AHRA, NHRA and IHRA Pro Stock drag racing over the next five years.

Combining engineering with entrepreneurship, Roush founded Roush Performance Engineering in 1976 and began selling designs he had created for his own team to the wider world of motorsport. His tenacious, solutions-based approach brought great demand for Roush engines and components for drag, oval-track and hill-climb racing, as well as offshore power boats.

CONTINUED SUCCESS ON AND OFF THE TRACK

In 1984, Roush returned to on-track competition in the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) and International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) road racing series. Since then, Roush Racing has claimed 24 national championships and titles in the series, including 12 manufacturer's championships and 119 road racing victories. Roush also earned 10 consecutive 24 Hours of Daytona sedan-class championships, with drivers such as Bill Elliot, Ricky Rudd, Kyle Petty and actor Paul Newman.

In 1988, Roush took his boldest leap yet when he moved his operation south to venture into the world of NASCAR racing. Starting with a single-car team out of Liberty, NC with driver Mark Martin, Roush established an unparalleled reputation for driver development, leading 13 drivers to NASCAR Rookie of the Year Awards and seeing 19 different drivers win in his cars. His multi-car efficiency model would become one of the organization’s most celebrated successes. Roush drivers made up an unprecedented five of the ten “Chase for the Cup” teams in the 2005 Monster Energy Cup season, coming off back-to-back series championship wins in 2003 and 2004.

In 2007, Roush Racing and Fenway Sports Group announced the formation of Roush Fenway Racing, a revolutionary partnership that brought together two iconic organizations. Today, with 325 Cup Series victories, five NASCAR owner championships, and three NASCAR driver’s championships, Roush Fenway Racing continues to be one of the sport’s premiere teams. Jack Roush, now the winningest owner in NASCAR history and an icon of American engineering, was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in 2017 and is set to be inducted into the 2019 class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

BEYOND THE TRACK

Still an engineer at heart, Roush is also renowned for numerous technological and safety innovations. He was involved in the creation of roof flaps to disrupt airflow and prevent stock cars from going airborne, which are now standard equipment for all NASCAR drivers. In addition, Roush engine facilities supply the horsepower for several other teams in both Monster Energy Cup and Xfinity Series racing. Off the track, he is the founder of Roush Enterprises, a global supplier of automotive product development services to some of the world’s most dynamic industries, with facilities throughout North America, South America, Europe and Asia.