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Roush Fenway Weekly Advance | Charlotte II

by MikeMay 27, 2020

Roush Fenway Weekly Advance | Charlotte II

The NASCAR Cup Series hits the 1.5-mile Charlotte Motor Speedway for its second event in four days with a shorter, 310.6-mile event under the lights. After Chris Buescher’s top-10 finish in Sunday’s Coke 600, Jack Roush has 80 top-10 runs at the oval at CMS all-time, the fourth-most of any track on the circuit for the NASCAR Hall of Fame owner.

Charlotte Motor Speedway (1.5-Mile)
Alsco Uniforms 500

Wednesday, May 27, 2020 | 8 p.m. ET

FS1, PRN, SiriusXM Channel 90

Ryan Newman, No. 6 Roush Performance Ford Mustang
Chris Buescher, No. 17 Fastenal Ford Mustang

NASCAR Returns to Action

NASCAR continues its return to racing Wednesday with the fourth Cup Series event in a 10-day span as Charlotte Motor Speedway hosts its second consecutive race – this time a condensed, 310.6-mile shootout.
From Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 to Wednesday, cars will turn nearly 1000 miles this week alone as the series is slated for its eighth points race overall of 2020, and fourth in the return of the sport. Following Wednesday’s race, the NCS will then hit five different tracks from May 31 – June 21 in the remainder of the announced scheduled to date.
Four weeks of NASCAR action were completed prior to the hiatus with races at Atlanta, Homestead, Texas, Bristol, Richmond, Talladega, Dover and Martinsville postponed.

Wednesday Recap, Sunday Preview

Ryan Newman appeared poised for a strong run in Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600, having powered his Roman Ford inside the top-10, before a faulty battery dropped the team off the pace just over halfway through the race.
Newman recorded a 10^th-place finish in stage one, but with only four cautions over the final 150 laps, he was unable to gain all his laps back to settle for a 28^th-place finish.
Buescher picked up three spots during a hectic final two-lap shootout to bring his Fifth Third Ford home 10^th in the Coke 600. He and the 17 team overcame an early pit road penalty to record their second top-10 of 2020.

Invert Determines Starting Lineup for Wednesday

The NASCAR Cup Series held a qualifying session for Sunday’s Coke 600 – the first and only scheduled qualifying thus far in NASCAR’s return – as Newman qualified 18^th with Buescher 19^th. The top-20 invert is back for Wednesday’s race, with Buescher rolling off 11^th after a 10^th-place run. Newman will fire off 28^th after his finish on Sunday.

Golden Sombrero

Roush Fenway won a record four-consecutive Coca-Cola 600’s from 1999-2002 with drivers Jeff Burton, Matt Kenseth and Mark Martin. During that span, Roush Fenway led 427 laps, including 201 of 400 laps in the 1999 event.

2006 Dominance in the Coca-Cola 600

Roush Fenway had its best overall outing in the Coca-Cola 600 in 2006, when its five entries averaged a 5.4 finish. Roush Fenway Fords finished third, fourth, fifth, seventh and eighth while leading 52 laps in the event. In 2002, Roush Fenway posted a one-two finish in the event with Martin and Kenseth battling feverishly for the win and combining to lead 67 laps in the race (with Martin taking the win).

Tale of the Tape

Roush Fenway has started 212 NCS races at Charlotte, recording eight total wins with 46 top-five and 80 top-10 finishes. RFR Fords have an average finish of 16.3 with 2627 laps led all-time.

Roush Fenway Charlotte Wins

1992-2 Martin Cup

1995-2 Martin Cup

1998-2 Martin Cup

1999-1 Burton Cup

2000-1 Kenseth Cup

2001-1 Burton Cup

2002-1 Martin Cup

2011-2 Kenseth Cup

1993-2 Martin NXS

1995-2 Martin NXS

1996-1 Martin NXS

1996-2 Martin NXS

1998-1 Martin NXS

1999-1 Martin NXS

2000-1 Burton NXS

2001-2 Biffle NXS

2002-2 Burton NXS

2006-1 Edwards NXS

2011-1 Kenseth NXS

2011-2 Edwards NXS

2015-1 Buescher NXS

Roush Fenway Weekly Advance | Charlotte 1

by MikeMay 22, 2020

NASCAR’s return to racing continues Memorial Day weekend with the running of the prestigious Coca-Cola 600. Roush Fenway has 20 wins all-time at Charlotte Motor Speedway, including four in the Coke 600. Chris Buescher – who will pilot the Fifth Third Ford – is coming off a sixth-place run in this race a year ago while Ryan Newman –piloting the Roman Ford – has nine-career poles at the 1.5-mile track, the most of any active driver in NASCAR.

Charlotte Motor Speedway (1.5-Mile)
Coca-Cola 600

Sunday, May 24, 2020 | 6 p.m. ET

FOX, PRN, SiriusXM Channel 90

Ryan Newman, No. 6 Roman Ford Mustang
Chris Buescher, No. 17 Fifth Third Ford Mustang

NASCAR Returns to Action

NASCAR continues its historic return to racing Sunday with the prestigious Coca-Cola 600, the third of four NASCAR Cup Series events over a 10-day span. The NCS will return to Charlotte Motor Speedway on Wednesday for a 310.6-mile event, which is set for 8 p.m. ET.
Despite heavy rain in the Darlington area on Wednesday, NASCAR was able to get an official race in under the lights for the Cup Series’ sixth points race of 2020.
Four weeks of NASCAR action were completed prior to the hiatus with races at Atlanta, Homestead, Texas, Bristol, Richmond, Talladega, Dover and Martinsville postponed.

Wednesday Recap, Sunday Preview

With rain in the area through much of the night Wednesday, a bold strategy call put Newman in the lead just past halfway Wednesday night, before he overcame an unlucky pit road incident to record a 14^th-place finish in a rain-shortened 208-lap race.
The same strategy call put Buescher just behind teammate Newman for a restart just past halfway in Wednesday’s event at Darlington, with the race ultimately running 208 laps before rain cut it short. Buescher later missed pit road on a pit stop and got one of his laps back, before recording a 23^rd-place finish.
After two straight events with no qualifying, the field for Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 will be set by qualifying, which is slated for 2 p.m. ET (FS1).

Roush Fenway in the 600

In 102 NCS starts in the famed Coca-Cola 600, Roush Fenway Racing has visited victory lane four times and recorded 23 top-five and 38 top-10 finishes. Jeff Burton leads the way with two Coke 600 victories for Jack Roush, while Mark Martin and Matt Kenseth have one each.

Golden Sombrero

2006 Dominance in the Coca-Cola 600

Roush Fenway had its best overall outing in the Coca-Cola 600 in 2006, when its five entries averaged a 5.4 finish. Roush Fenway Fords finished third, fourth, fifth, seventh and eighth, while leading 52 laps in the event. In 2002, Roush Fenway posted a one-two finish in the event with Martin and Kenseth battling feverishly for the win and combining to lead 67 laps in the race (with Martin taking the win).

Tale of the Tape

Roush Fenway has started 210 NCS races at Charlotte, recording eight total wins with 46 top-five and 79 top-10 finishes. RFR Fords have an average finish of 16.3 with 2627 laps led all-time.

600 Miles of Remembrance

To align with the nation’s spirit of Memorial Day, the NASCAR industry will come together to honor and remember the brave men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces who’ve made the ultimate sacrifice defending our freedom. Each driver/team entry into the Coca-Cola 600 will display a fallen service member name on the windshield header decal of the racecar.

Buescher will carry the name of SPC Anthony Kinslow, a native of Phoenix who was based in Fort Carson, Colorado, in the U.S. Army. Kinslow was assigned to the 2^nd Battalion, 17^th Field Artillery Regiment, 2^nd Brigade, 2^nd Infantry Division. He was killed June 13, 2005, when his military vehicle came under a grenade attack while he was conducting combat operations in Ramadi, Iraq.

Newman will carry the name of Nathan Bruckenthal, a native of Stony Brook, N.Y., who enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard on Jan. 5, 1999. He was later assigned to Tactical Law Enforcement Detachment South, LEDET 403, at Coast Guard Air Station Miami, Florida, and deployed to the Persian Gulf in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

On April 24, 2004, while serving as part of Coast Guard Patrol Forces Southwest Asia aboard USS Firebolt, Petty Officer 3rd Class Bruckenthal, a damage controlman, and two U. S. Navy sailors were killed in the line of duty while conducting maritime intercept operations in the North Arabian Gulf. Bruckenthal and six other coalition sailors attempted to board a small boat near the Iraqi Khawr Al Amaya Oil Terminal. As they boarded the boat, it exploded. Bruckenthal later died from the wounds he sustained in the explosion. Bruckenthal was the first Coast Guard member killed in action since the Vietnam War.

Roush Fenway Charlotte Wins

1992-2 Martin Cup

1995-2 Martin Cup

1998-2 Martin Cup

1999-1 Burton Cup

2000-1 Kenseth Cup

2001-1 Burton Cup

2002-1 Martin Cup

2011-2 Kenseth Cup

1993-2 Martin NXS

1995-2 Martin NXS

1996-1 Martin NXS

1996-2 Martin NXS

1998-1 Martin NXS

1999-1 Martin NXS

2000-1 Burton NXS

2001-2 Biffle NXS

2002-2 Burton NXS

2006-1 Edwards NXS

2011-1 Kenseth NXS

2011-2 Edwards NXS

2015-1 Buescher NXS

Roush Fenway Weekly Advance | Darlington II

by MikeMay 20, 2020

Darlington Raceway
Toyota 500

Wednesday, May 20, 2020 | 7:30 p.m. ET

FS1, MRN, SiriusXM Channel 90

Ryan Newman, No. 6 Oscar Mayer Ford Mustang
Chris Buescher, No. 17 Fifth Third Ford Mustang

NASCAR Returns to Action

Following its return to racing Sunday at Darlington Raceway, NASCAR continues its modified schedule with a second event at ‘The Lady in Black’ Wednesday night in primetime. It will mark the third of seven NASCAR national series races in an 11-day span.
Once competition wraps at Darlington on Wednesday, the NCS will transition to Charlotte Motor Speedway for two-consecutive events, the first on May 24 with the crown jewel Coca-Cola 600. It will be followed by a shorter event on May 27.
Four weeks of NASCAR action were completed prior to the outbreak before races at Atlanta, Homestead, Texas, Bristol, Richmond, Talladega, Dover and Martinsville were later postponed.

Sunday Recap, Wednesday Preview

Buescher had an unlucky return to the track Sunday at Darlington after being caught up in two other cars’ incidents twice. He received heavy damage early on that set he and the No. 17 team back for the remainder, eventually crossing the line 32^nd.
The starting lineup for Wednesday’s 311.4-mile race will be determined by an invert for the top-20 cars, with cars 21-40 starting where they finished on Sunday, meaning Buescher will fire off 32^nd.
In his first race back since the Daytona 500, Newman fought his way inside the top-10 early on in Sunday’s 293-lap race at Darlington, before finishing 15^th. He crossed the line ninth in stage one to earn stage points, and came back from a speeding penalty and cut tire in the closing laps to earn a top-15.
With the top-20 invert, Newman will be sixth on the grid Wednesday night.

Darlington Two-Step

Roush Fenway has twice won consecutive NCS races at Darlington, including a season sweep in 1999 with former driver and current NBC commentator Jeff Burton. Roush Fenway also earned victories in consecutive seasons at the egg-shaped oval in 2005 and 2006 with Biffle.

Tale of the Tape

In 246 all-time NASCAR starts at ‘The Lady in Black,’ Jack Roush’s Fords have 20 wins, 69 top-five and 116 top-10 finishes, along with 20 poles. Over the years RFR has led 4500+ laps across the Cup, Xfinity and Truck series, with more than 85,000 miles logged at the 1.366-mile track. In NCS action alone, RFR has finished top-10 in 43 percent (69-of-160) of the races with 35 top-five results and five wins.

Kickin’ It Old School

Legendary Roush Fenway drivers Mark Martin, Jeff Burton and Greg Biffle are responsible for the five Cup wins for Jack Roush at Darlington. Martin earned Roush’s first Cup win back in 1993 after leading 178 laps. Burton swept the 1999 events as the dominant car, and Biffle earned the two most recent victories in 2005 and 2006.

Most All-Time

It’s no secret that when Roush has dominated in the Xfinity Series at Darlington. In 79 starts, the organization has 15 wins, 33 top-five and 44 top-10s. Mark Martin is responsible for eight of the victories, second-most for him among any track, after winning five of the first seven races at the track for Roush from 1993-96. He also went on to win in 1999, and swept again in 2000. Jeff Burton got in on the fun with wins in 1997, 2001 and 2002, while Biffle earned a win in 2004. Most recently, Kenseth drove to victory lane in 2005 and 2009.

The Real Heroes Project Debuts at Darlington

NASCAR is collaborating with other professional sports properties across the country to embark on The Real Heroes Project. The goal is to motivate and inspire healthcare workers as sports only can, by turning its greatest heroes (the athletes) into their greatest fans. To that end, the name of a COVID-19 frontline worker will be displayed above the driver’s side door on each entry Wednesday night.

NASCAR allowed teams to select the names of the frontline workers to appear on their cars, and Roush Fenway elected to have Newman select two names that were influential in his recovery since the Daytona 500. Newman chose a name special to him, Fe Roster, VP & Chief Care Continuum Officer at Halifax Health. Fe played a vital role in Newman’s life in the days following his horrific, last-lap crash in the Daytona 500, where he walked out of Halifax Medical Center three days later under the care of Roster and others. Dr. Jerry Petty, a partner with NASCAR for 40+ years, also played a vital role in Newman’s recovery all the way up until clearing him for NASCAR action, and – at Newman’s request – Petty will be on the name rail of the No. 17 machine Wednesday night.

Roush Fenway Darlington Wins

1993-2 Martin Cup

1999-1 Burton Cup

1999-2 Burton Cup

2005 Biffle Cup

2006 Biffle Cup

1993-2 Martin NXS

1994-1 Martin NXS

1994-2 Martin NXS

1995-2 Martin NXS

1996-1 Martin NXS

1997-2 Burton NXS

1999-2 Martin NXS

2000-1 Martin NXS

2000-2 Martin NXS

2001-2 Burton NXS

2002-1 Burton NXS

2002-2 Burton NXS

2004-1 Biffle NXS

2005 Kenseth NXS

2009 Kenseth NXS

By the Numbers at Darlington Raceway

Race Win T5 T10 Pole Laps Led AvSt AvFn Miles

160 5 35 69 7 51132 2718 16.7 16.1 69846.3

79 15 33 44 12 10616 1856 9.9 12.9 14501.4

7 0 1 3 1 944 9 16.0 15.9 1289.50

246 20 69 116 20 62692 4583 14.5 15.1 85637.2