NASCAR Cup Series

Roush Fenway must have results in 2011

Published Feb. 15, 2011 12:00 a.m. ET

foxsports

This will be a pivotal year for Roush Fenway Racing.

Leadership officially transferred hands from Geoff Smith to newly named president Steve Newmark in December. And Newmark now has the daunting task of signing Carl Edwards and veteran Greg Biffle, the driver who delivered RFR’s first and second NASCAR championships with the Camping World Truck Series title in 2000 and the Nationwide Series title in 2002.

While there remains some confusion on the status of David Ragan, particularly after the driver acknowledged “it’s a contract year,” Roush’s front office insist he’s locked down through 2014. Certainly, for the long-term health of RFR, Ragan’s sponsor UPS is far more valuable to the company’s future than the driver, particularly with protégé Trevor Bayne waiting in the wings.

And speaking of sponsorship, UPS, 3M and Aflac all are up for renewal. UPS has been rumored to be interested in Kasey Kahne once he moves to Hendrick Motorsports (if they’re willing to up their investment to the $28 million range). 3M is thrilled with its investment and the No. 16 team, but signing on the dotted line appears to be predicated on Biffle’s decision. Edwards has been ideal for the Aflac brand, but with current economic conditions the question becomes whether the insurance company cares to maintain its original buy-in. Speculation of Penske Racing, with its massive business-to-business potential, courting Aflac — and Edwards — continues.

Roush’s ability to hold on to its marquee drivers, perennial championship contenders Edwards and Biffle, will require a two-fold approach: competitive equipment and salaries, supported by ample sponsorship.

Over the past two seasons, Roush has not produced the type of results reflective of its winning reputation. For the first time since the inception of the Chase for the Sprint Cup, Matt Kenseth missed making the field in 2009 and went winless last year. Edwards endured a 70-race losing streak that didn’t end until November's race at Phoenix International Raceway.

Roush acknowledged the organization went down the wrong engineering path with faulty simulation two years ago. And the drought was painful. The results of Roush’s recovery did not begin to manifest until last August when Biffle won at Pocono Raceway and all four cars finished 11th or better. Although RFR and Richard Childress Racing were the only organizations to place three drivers in the Chase in 2010, for racers the caliber of Kenseth and Edwards to endure lengthy winless streaks is unacceptable.

Despite Roush’s turnaround last season, the changes didn’t stop there. Engineering manager Chris Andrews was moved to the Nationwide program to oversee the development of youngsters Bayne and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Andrews is the crew chief for Bayne. Chip Bolin, Kenseth’s former engineer and one-time crew chief, moved into Andrews’ former position to manage team engineers and simulation. Former Richard Petty Motorsports manager Tommy Wheeler now oversees car manufacturing.

Kenseth refers to Bolin as “the smartest guy in the building” and “the only engineer (he’s) ever had.” Again, Kenseth sacrificed a team principal for the overall good of the company. His long-time crew chief Robbie Reiser was promoted to general manager near the end of the 2007 season. Reiser is well-respected in his ranks. Edwards calls Reiser “a very, very smart guy…(who) I have a lot of faith in.” Reiser's organizational skills and ability to see the big picture have served Roush well.

On the team side, veteran crew chief Jimmy Fennig will remain with Kenseth and the No. 17 squad. The fellow Wisconsinite became Kenseth’s third crew chief last season, replacing Todd Parrott in June. Although Kenseth finished fifth in the points standings — his best showing in three years — his losing streak has reached 70 races.

“It is important to get consistency within the team and with the personnel and car builds and everything,” Kenseth said. “I think that always helps. Last year we finished the year pretty strong. We didn’t get the win we were looking for, but we still finished pretty strong in the points and got some good finishes toward the end of the year. Hopefully we can roll that into this year and keep it going.

“You feel like you are better, but every offseason you feel like you have made changes and (have) gotten things better than they were before. You really don’t know until you get six or seven weeks into the season and then you get a better idea.”

Two changes for Kenseth’s pit crew include veteran Ryan McCray moving from the No. 6 Ford to the rear tire carrier position and Norm Lowe, who was the catch can man on the No. 17, moving into the gasman’s spot.

Biffle feeling uncertain

Biffle’s team was the first Roush squad to show a spark of improvement in 2010. With Greg Erwin at the helm since June 2007, the No. 16 has been extremely consistent. Under Erwin’s direction, Biffle won five races and has qualified for the past three Chases. Biffle’s goals for 2011 are realistic but not uncommon.

“That is simple, to win the title,” the 41-year-old said. “I want to win a bunch of races and win the title.”

If Biffle can accomplish that, he would be the first driver in NASCAR history to capture titles in Trucks, Nationwide and Cup. Certainly, if Roush gives Biffle that opportunity, it would turn the tide in contract negotiations. However, he doesn’t appear overly confident with the caliber of his equipment.

“We are about where we were compared to the field,” Biffle said. “We haven’t lost any ground, which is really important, but I don’t know that we have gained a whole bunch. We are on a pretty level playing field with our competition.”

Where Biffle has an edge is with his award-winning pit crew, which was bolstered in the offseason with the addition of front tire changer Mike Lingerfelt, who was acquired from the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports team.

Edwards feeling confident

Edwards, 31, has been called NASCAR’s most popular free agent. After Roush re-signed Edwards three years ago, the owner questioned whether he’d be able to afford his marquee driver again. Time and results will tell. For Edwards, winning a title would seal the deal.

““The most important thing to me is that I’m in position to win races — and not just races,” Edwards said. “I want to win championships…The No. 1 thing in my decision-making process, whatever we do, I just want to be in a position to win championships.”

Roush has given Edwards the tools to accomplish that. Edwards' relationship with crew chief Bob Osborne dates to 2004 — the longest partnering at Roush. Throughout the team’s slump there was never the consternation that typically upsets other squads. This duo remained steady throughout the year and was running at the end of every race with the exception of Atlanta after Edwards punted Brad Keselowski.

Certainly, ending last season with back-to-back wins at Phoenix and Homestead-Miami Speedway is a step in the right direction.

“The way we finished the 2010 season is the way we would like to run all the time,” Edwards said. “I feel the way our team is structured right now that we are set to have one of our best seasons. That goes for all of the Roush teams, including ours.

“I used to not believe in momentum, but now I am starting to understand how it works and I am hoping to capitalize on it this season.”

The only change to the No. 99 pit crew is Alan Troutman, the front tire carrier who came from what was the No. 98 RPM team.

While signing Edwards and Biffle places the most pressure on the front office, from a performance standpoint, Ragan is the driver feeling the most heat in 2011. After two lackluster seasons of finishing 27th and 24th in the points, posting five top-10 finishes and leading just 17 laps, Ragan was put on notice by Roush.

Roush replaced veteran crew chief Donnie Wingo with promising leader Drew Blickensderfer in September. Ragan produced two top-10 finishes in those final nine races but never led a lap.

Ragan’s future in the Sprint Cup Series will be dependent on whether he can deliver results — and ultimately UPS.