RFK Racing facts for kids
 |
|
| Owner(s) | Jack Roush John W. Henry (Fenway Sports Group) Brad Keselowski |
|---|---|
| Base | Concord, North Carolina |
| Series | NASCAR Cup Series |
| Race drivers | Cup Series: 6. Brad Keselowski 17. Chris Buescher 60. Ryan Preece |
| Manufacturer | Ford |
| Opened | 1988 |
| Career | |
| Debut | Cup Series: 1988 Daytona 500 (Daytona) Xfinity Series: 1992 Goody's 300 (Daytona) Camping World Truck Series: 1995 Heartland Tailgate 175 (Topeka) ARCA Re/Max Series: 2005 Advance Discount Auto Parts 200 (Daytona) |
| Latest race | Cup Series: 2020 FanShield 500 (Phoenix) Xfinity Series: 2018 Ford EcoBoost 300 (Homestead) Camping World Truck Series: 2009 Ford 200 (Homestead) ARCA Re/Max Series: 2008 Hantz Group 200 (Toledo) |
| Races competed | Total: 2,391 Cup Series: 1,282 Xfinity Series: 726 Camping World Truck Series: 353 ARCA Re/Max Series: 30 |
| Drivers' Championships | Total: 8 Cup Series: 2 2003, 2004 Xfinity Series: 5 2002, 2007, 2011, 2012, 2015 Camping World Truck Series: 1 2000 ARCA Re/Max Series: 0 |
| Race victories | Total: 334 Cup Series: 143 Xfinity Series: 137 Camping World Truck Series: 50 ARCA Re/Max Series: 4 |
| Pole positions | Total: 235 Cup Series: 91 Xfinity Series: 96 Camping World Truck Series: 45 ARCA Re/Max Series: 3 |
Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing, also known as RFK Racing, is a professional stock car team in America. They currently race in the NASCAR Cup Series. In the 2000s and early 2010s, Roush was one of NASCAR's biggest teams. They used to have teams in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, ARCA Menards Series, and other racing series.
Today, the team has three full-time cars. Brad Keselowski drives the No. 6 Ford Mustang Dark Horse. He is also a co-owner of the team. Chris Buescher drives the No. 17 Mustang. Ryan Preece drives the No. 60 Mustang.
The team started as Roush Racing. In 2007, it became Roush Fenway Racing when John W. Henry joined as a co-owner. In 2022, Brad Keselowski became a co-owner, and the team changed its name to RFK Racing.
Since it began, Roush has only used Ford cars. The team also runs Roush-Yates Engines. This company builds engines for most Ford teams in NASCAR and ARCA.
Contents
Team History and Success
Roush Racing was started by Jack Roush. He used to work for the Ford Motor Company. Before NASCAR, Roush won many championships in other types of racing, like drag racing and sports car racing. His racing business began as a small part of his engineering company in Michigan.
The NASCAR team started in 1988 in Concord, North Carolina. It quickly became the main focus of the company. The team won two NASCAR Cup Series championships in a row. They won in 2003 with driver Matt Kenseth and in 2004 with driver Kurt Busch. The team has also won many races and championships in the Nationwide/Xfinity Series and Craftsman Truck Series.
In 2007, John W. Henry bought half of the team. He owns the Fenway Sports Group, which also owns the Boston Red Sox baseball team. The team was then renamed Roush Fenway Racing. Jack Roush still manages the team every day.
On July 20, 2021, it was announced that Brad Keselowski would join the team. He was a champion in 2010 and 2012. Keselowski became a driver and a co-owner, taking over the No. 6 car.
NASCAR Cup Series Racing
The NASCAR Cup Series program started in 1988. Roush Racing builds many cars and provides engines and engineering help to other Ford teams. Having many teams helps them share information and resources. This makes all their teams perform better.
Since 2004, Roush-Yates Engines has provided engines for the cars. This is a partnership between Roush Fenway Racing and a former rival team, Yates Racing. Roush-Yates also supplies engines and parts to other Cup teams, like Wood Brothers Racing and Team Penske.
Between 1998 and 2000, and again from 2003 to 2009, Roush Racing had five full-time Cup teams. This was more than any other team. In 2005, all five Roush teams made it into the Chase for the Nextel Cup. NASCAR later asked Roush Fenway to reduce its number of teams. By 2016, they had only two teams. For 2025, RFK expanded back to a three-car team.
In November 2023, it was announced that the No. 60 car would race in the 2024 Daytona 500 with David Ragan. This car will also compete part-time with different drivers. Starting in 2025, the No. 60 team will become a full-time operation with Ryan Preece as the driver.
NASCAR Xfinity Series Racing
The Xfinity Series team started in 1992 with Mark Martin driving the No. 60 car. This team has been very successful. Mark Martin won many races. The team also won three driver's championships with Greg Biffle (2002), Carl Edwards (2007), and Chris Buescher (2015). They won an owner's championship with Edwards in 2011.
The No. 6 team won two driver's championships in a row in 2011 and 2012 with Ricky Stenhouse Jr.. Roush closed its Xfinity program after the 2018 season.
NASCAR Truck Series Racing
From 1995 to 2009, Roush had teams in the NASCAR Truck Series. Many drivers who later raced in the Cup Series drove for Roush in the Truck Series. These include Kurt Busch, Greg Biffle, Kyle Busch, and Carl Edwards. Roush's trucks won 50 races and the 2000 series championship with Greg Biffle.
Truck No. 6 History
In 2006, the No. 6 truck was driven by Mark Martin and rookie David Ragan. Mark Martin won five races that year. The team finished second in the owner's points.
In 2007, Travis Kvapil took over the No. 6 truck. He won four races and finished sixth in points.
For 2008 and 2009, Colin Braun drove the No. 6 truck. In 2009, he won a race at Michigan and finished fifth in points. Roush closed this team and ended its Truck Series program after the 2009 season.
Truck No. 50 History
The No. 50 truck started in 1995. In 1997, Joe Ruttman won five races. For 1998, Greg Biffle took over the No. 50. He won nine races in 1999. In 2000, Biffle won five races and the series championship.
In 2001, Chuck Hossfeld drove the truck, but later Jon Wood took over. Wood won two races in 2003. In 2005, Todd Kluever drove the truck and won the Rookie of the Year award. The No. 50 truck was also used by other drivers like Carl Edwards and Michel Jourdain Jr. in 2006 and 2007.
Truck No. 99 History
The No. 99 truck first raced in 1996. Mark Martin won a race in it that year. In 2000, Kurt Busch drove the No. 99. He won four races and finished second in the championship.
Kyle Busch was supposed to race the truck full-time in 2002. However, NASCAR changed a rule, requiring drivers to be at least 18 years old. So, the team did not race for the rest of 2002.
The truck returned in 2003 with Carl Edwards as the driver. Edwards won three races and the Rookie of the Year title. He won three more races in 2004. In 2005, Ricky Craven drove the truck and won a race at Martinsville.
Erik Darnell drove the No. 99 truck from 2006 to 2008. He won Rookie of the Year in 2006. Darnell won a race at Kansas in 2007 and another at Michigan in 2008. This team was closed after the 2008 season.
ARCA Re/Max Series Racing
Roush also competed in the ARCA Re/Max Series. In 2005, Todd Kluever drove the No. 60 car at Daytona. In 2006, Danny O'Quinn Jr. drove the No. 39 car.
Car No. 99 History
In 2007, Erik Darnell drove the No. 99 car in three races. He won at Kentucky and Michigan. Colin Braun also drove three races and had good finishes. For 2008, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. drove the No. 99. He won two races at Kentucky and Pocono. He also had ten top-five finishes.
Team Partnerships
Roush-Yates Engines
Roush Racing has a very well-known partnership with Yates Racing. In 2004, they combined their engine divisions to create Roush-Yates Engines (RYE). This greatly improved the power of their engines. By 2006, most Ford teams were using Roush-Yates engines.
Today, Roush-Yates provides engines to many NASCAR teams. These include Team Penske, Wood Brothers Racing, Stewart-Haas Racing, Front Row Motorsports, and Rick Ware Racing. Roush Fenway also helps Front Row Motorsports with technical support, chassis, and car bodies.
Wood Brothers Racing
Roush Racing's first partnership was with Wood Brothers Racing. This is a very old Ford team. The partnership started in 2000. Roush helped them with engines and later with drivers. This partnership ended after the 2014 season.
No Fear Racing
In 2006, SoBe No Fear energy drink started a new team called No Fear Racing. This team was connected to Roush Racing. Roush helped them with cars and engineering. In return, driver Boris Said helped teach Roush's younger drivers about road course racing.
Robby Gordon
Starting in 2007, Robby Gordon began using Ford cars. He leased engines from the Roush/Yates engine program for that season.
Aerospace Industry Work
Roush also started working in the aerospace industry in the 2010s. In 2015, United Launch Alliance hired Roush Racing. They wanted Roush to build a special lightweight engine. This engine will power a system for a new rocket called the Vulcan launch vehicle.
The Gong Show Driver Program
For many years, Roush Racing found new drivers through a special competition called The Gong Show. This competition started in 1985 for their road racing program. The first one for stock car racing was in 1999.
Thousands of drivers from all levels of racing would apply. They would go through many tests. These tests checked not only their driving skills but also how well they could talk to the public. The best drivers were given a contract to race for Roush, often in the Truck Series or Xfinity Series.
In 2005, a TV show called Roush Racing: Driver X showed what happened during the 2005 Gong Show. Famous drivers like Kurt Busch, Carl Edwards, and David Ragan were winners of this program.
The name "Gong Show" comes from a funny talent show from the 1970s.
More to Explore
- Roush Performance
- Ford Racing
See also
In Spanish: RFK Racing para niños
