Jack Roush facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jack Roush
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Roush in 2018
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| Born | April 19, 1942 Covington, Kentucky, U.S.
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| Occupation | NASCAR team owner |
| Employer | Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing (owner) |
Jack Roush was born on April 19, 1942. He is famous for being the founder and co-owner of Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing. This is a big NASCAR team based in Concord, North Carolina. He also leads Roush Enterprises.
Roush Enterprises is a large company that includes Roush Racing. It also has Roush Industries, which is an engineering company. Another part is Roush Performance, which makes cool car parts. There's also ROUSH CleanTech, which builds special fuel systems for vehicles. All these companies are based in Livonia, Michigan. More than 2,000 people work for his companies in North America and Europe.
Jack Roush often wears a special Panama hat. Because of this, people in NASCAR call him "The Cat in the Hat".
He has been honored many times for his work. He joined the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2006. In 2010, he was inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame. In 2019, he became part of the NASCAR Hall of Fame. He also joined the EAA Warbirds of America Hall of Fame in 2018. In 2022, he was inducted into the SEMA Hall of Fame and the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America. In 2025, he joined the Trans-Am Series Hall of Fame.
Roush Enterprises has a collection of race cars and special cars. You can see them for free in Livonia, Michigan.
Contents
Jack Roush's Early Life and Career
Jack Roush was born in Covington, Kentucky. He grew up in Manchester, Ohio. He studied mathematics and physics at Berea College. Then he earned a master's degree from Eastern Michigan University.
After college in 1966, Roush worked at Ford. In 1970, he left to start his own company. He worked for a year at Chrysler before opening his own engineering business. Later, he teamed up with Wayne Gapp to race in drag racing events.
For much of his career, Roush sold the car parts he created for his own team. In 1982, he worked with a German company called Zakspeed. They built road racing cars for Ford. This led to many wins in the Trans-Am series and IMSA GT Championship in the 1980s and early 90s. In 1988, Roush started a NASCAR team with driver Mark Martin.
Roush in NASCAR Racing
His team, RFK Racing, currently has three cars in the NASCAR Cup Series. These cars are driven by Brad Keselowski, Chris Buescher, and Ryan Preece. Roush has won eight championships as a car owner in NASCAR's top three series.
He won two Cup titles: in 2003 with Matt Kenseth and in 2004 with Kurt Busch. He also won five Xfinity Series titles. These were with Greg Biffle (2002), Carl Edwards (2007), Stenhouse Jr. (2011–2012), and Chris Buescher (2015). In 2000, he won a Camping World Truck Series title with Greg Biffle.
Roush's team has also won the Daytona 500 twice. Both wins were with driver Matt Kenseth, in 2009 and 2012. Since Roush started in NASCAR, his team has achieved 283 wins and 212 pole positions.
Roush Performance Cars
Roush Performance sells many types of vehicles, parts, and powerful engines. They are well-known for their special Ford Mustangs. More than 16,000 of these cars are on the roads today.
Roush Performance cars often have cool body kits and wheels. They also have better suspension for handling. Their engines get more horsepower with a special supercharger system. Some Roush Mustang versions have as much as 775 horsepower.
ROUSH CleanTech Vehicles
In 2008, Roush started offering vehicles that run on propane autogas. These are designed for companies with many vehicles. In 2010, he officially formed ROUSH CleanTech.
This company designs and builds clean fuel systems. They make systems for propane autogas and electric power. These systems are used in Ford commercial vehicles and Blue Bird school buses.
Plane Accidents
Jack Roush has been in two serious plane crashes.
On his 60th birthday, April 19, 2002, his private plane crashed into a lake in Troy, Alabama. Roush was unconscious underwater. A retired Marine named Larry Hicks rescued him. Hicks pulled him to safety and gave him CPR. Roush was taken to a hospital for a head injury, broken ribs, and a shattered leg. Hicks was also hurt during the rescue.
On July 27, 2010, Roush crashed his jet while landing in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. He was able to walk out of the plane. He was taken to a hospital and was in serious but stable condition. Later, his condition improved. On August 13, he appeared at the Michigan International Speedway. He confirmed he had a fractured back, a broken jaw, and lost vision in his left eye. Investigators said the crash was due to pilot error.
