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Team Preview: Roush Fenway Racing

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Updated Jan 28, 2009 4:25 AM ET
     
 

Overview

By Jeff Hammond In my opinion, the Roush Fenway Racing group is probably in the best position to challenge Hendrick Motorsports for the championship. They have several drivers capable of contending, most notably Carl Edwards, who finished second overall last season and has been so strong the last few years — it doesn't matter whether it is the Sprint Cup or Nationwide Series, he's a factor. Greg Biffle proved he could contend for the title during the Chase for the Sprint Cup last season. Jamie McMurray starts the year under new leadership, as he is reunited with Donnie Wingo — who guided McMurray to success back at Chip Ganassi Racing. Throw in David Ragan and former champion Matt Kenseth and it is evident that this team is in an excellent position to put pressure on the Hendrick empire and win several races along the way. There were a couple of changes made at Roush during the offseason, and the reasoning behind it is simple: They didn't win the championship. The number one goal for Roush is to finish the year with the big trophy, so they looked at what it would take to get to that next step and made changes — like hiring Wingo, putting Drew Blickensderfer in charge of Kenseth's team, slotting Pierre Kuettel into the car chief position on the No. 99 team, etc. — with the goal of reaching the pinnacle of the sport in mind. The fact that Roush is willing to change things around even after achieving so much success is a very good thing as it shows just how much he wants to win.

Driver outlook

By Mike Harmon David Ragan — Driver of the No. 6 UPS Ford Ragan was one of the best stories of the NASCAR circuit in 2008. The 23-year-old sophomore vastly improved his performance level and narrowly missed racing in the Chase. Ragan improved his average starting position by 11.7 slots with a 9.1-position improvement in his average finish. He produced 14 top 10s during the season, including five top 10s during the 10-race Chase to close out the season. I'm most intrigued to see how he follows up that phenomenal 16th-place average finish. I suspect that he experiences a slight regression from last year's top-notch performance level (25 top-20 finishes), but Ragan will definitely be a factor this season. Greg Biffle — Driver of the No. No. 16 3M Ford Biffle completed his best season since 2005 last year, finishing third in the point standings. Biffle claimed 17 top 10s and averaged a strong 12.9-position finish, the second-best mark of his career (also 2005). Ultimately, Biffle's 12 top-five finishes trumped the negative impact of his 14 runs outside the top 20. I expect a slight pull-back from the No. 16 team this year. Biffle had produced 13 top fives in the two years prior, nearly matching that number last year (12). I'm reticent to expect a repeat of that high level of performance. Matt Kenseth — Driver of the No. 17 DeWalt Ford Kenseth experienced a minor regression in his overall performance in 2008. He failed to win a race for the first time since 2001 and his 16.4-position finish was his worst since that year. Kenseth averaged a 16.5-position qualifying slot, so he was able to maintain his starting position on average. Unfortunately, he also raced outside of the top 20 on 11 occasions with three DNFs. Kenseth has averaged 20 top 10s and 12.25 top fives in the past four years, so a moderate bounce-back in his performance level should be anticipated. Jamie McMurray — Driver of the No. 26 Crown Royal Ford McMurray improved his overall performance for the third straight season. He produced 11 top-10 and 14 top 15s (19 top 20s). The No. 26 Roush Fenway Ford ended the season with a bang, generating five top 10s in his final six races. Taken further, McMurray raced to three consecutive third-place finishes to close the season. I'll be curious to watch how the team carries over momentum into Daytona. Carl Edwards — Driver of the No. 99 Aflac Ford Edwards experienced a dream season in 2008, producing new career marks in virtually every statistical category. He tripled his win total from 2007 and nearly doubled his total of top-10 finishes to improve his average finish by 4.4 slots. Edwards left fans on the edges of their seats during the Chase, racing to three wins in the final four races and an astounding total of eight top fives! To step back a bit, Edwards has raced into the top 20 in 78.7 percent of all races run during the past three years. Fantasy participants can rest assured that Edwards will almost always crack the upper tier and give them a strong point total. In 2008, Edwards finished 20th or better in 31 events.

Closing number

By Jorge A. Mondaca 4 While every year is chock full of decisions that have to be made, this year there is one specific one that will dominate the rumor pages: Roush Fenway Racing has to cut down from five to four teams following the 2009 season. Who will make the cut? Stay tuned.
Tagged: Carl Edwards, Jamie McMurray, Matt Kenseth, David Ragan, Greg Biffle

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