Jack Roush

In 1988 Jack Roush decided to move his racing operations south and foray into the growing, but unfamiliar world of NASCAR. Already an accomplished drag and road racer, NASCAR was exciting, but uncharted territory for the former Ford quality surveillance engineer and college professor.

The move proved to be very successful. Roush has built his team into one of the most successful in the history of professional sports. Roush’s teams captured multiple championships, in all three of NASCAR’s major series, while taking home over 300 checkered flags in the process. In addition, Roush has more than 500 wins across all the series he has raced in NASCAR, ARCA, SCCA Trans-Am, IMSA, Grand-Am, NHRA, IHRA, AHRA, NMRA and NMCA events.

Born in Covington, Kentucky in 1942, Jack Roush was always interested in finding out what made things tick. He received his mathematics degree with a minor in physics from Berea College in 1964 and moved to Detroit to go to work for Ford Motor Company that same year. He went on to earn his Master’s Degree in Scientific Mathematics from Eastern Michigan University in 1970.

While working for Ford Motor Co., Roush was drawn to the company’s extensive motorsports activities, and in 1966 joined a group of fellow racing enthusiasts called “The Fastbacks.” After leaving Ford, he partnered with Wayne Gapp in 1970 in a racing venture that would see the duo attract national attention by winning several events and one championship each in NHRA, IHRA and AHRA with their Pro Stock race cars.

In 1976, Roush formed Jack Roush Performance Engineering. His success on the track, combined with his reputation as a performance engineer helped his young business thrive, and although he stopped operating a drag team in the late 1970’s, his company stayed well entrenched in the sport; building engines for other teams into the early 1980’s.

Following a Ford-backed partnership with German touring car team Zakspeed, Roush launched his first SCCA Trans-Am team in 1984, and entered IMSA the following season. Over the next decade Roush-owned cars would dominate both series, helping Ford earn 12 Manufacturer’s Titles and 12 Roush Racing drivers won drivers’ championships. His team notched its first Daytona 24 hour GTO Class win in 1985. In subsequent years, Roush-built cars would go on to earn a remarkable 10 class wins in IMSA’s sedan classes, winning every time they entered the race.

In 1988, Roush launched his first NASCAR Cup team with driver Mark Martin. In October 1989, Roush and Martin claimed their first NASCAR Cup victory at North Carolina Motor Speedway and the two would go on to form one of the most successful partnerships in NASCAR history. As of 2025, 63 different drivers have driven for his NASCAR teams.

Jack Roush joined forces with Robert Yates to form Roush Yates Engines in 2003. The engine shop, based out of Mooresville, N.C. is the exclusive NASCAR engine builder for Ford Performance and manufactures engines for RFK Racing, Team Penske, Wood Brothers Racing, Haas Factory Team, and Front Row Motorsports.

In 2007, Roush Racing and Fenway Sports Group (FSG) announced the formation of Roush Fenway Racing, an unprecedented relationship that brought together two championship organizations with a distinguished track record of success in their respective businesses and sports.

Jack Roush became the 12th recipient of the North Carolina Motorsports Association Achievement in Motorsports Tribute Award. In 2018, Jack was honored by the North Carolina Motorsports Industry for his tremendous racing career that has crisscrossed the motorsports industry from drag racing to road racing and stock car racing, along with his performance and safety innovations.

In 2019, Jack was inducted into the 2019 NASCAR Hall of Fame class for his contributions to the sport as a team owner, innovator, and trail blazer. He was inducted with fellow inductees Jeff Gordon, Roger Penske, Davey Allison, and Alan Kulwicki.

In 2021, Roush Fenway Racing announced that Brad Keselowski would become part-owner of the team in addition to driving the famed No. 6 Ford, thus introducing Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing (RFK Racing).

Roush also heads up Roush Industries, Inc., which employs more than 4,000 people and operates facilities in five states and serves customers in more than 30 countries worldwide. Roush Industries designs, engineers, prototypes, tests, and manufactures products for customers in the advanced mobility, aerospace, defense, marine and theme park industries.

For more than 50 years, Roush has been committed to winning on and off the track. He is one of professional sports premier owners, with championships in all three NASCAR series. RFK Racing exemplifies tradition and success and is poised to continue their winning tradition well into the future.

To learn more about Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing, visit https://www.rfkracing.com/.