Roush resurgence slowed as cars struggle at Chicago
Only Kenseth salvages bad day with top-10 qualifying run
By David Caraviello, NASCAR.COM
JOLIET, Ill. -- His team has won two of the past four Nextel Cup races, and might have stolen a third had Jamie McMurray not run out of fuel. All five drivers finished in the top 12 last Saturday night at Daytona International Speedway. After slugging through the first half of the season, Roush Fenway Racing seems to have found its footing in NASCAR's premier series.
Well, maybe until Friday, when four Roush drivers finished well down the speed chart in qualifying for Sunday's event at Chicagoland Speedway. One of them, Greg Biffle, was in no mood to talk about a turnaround.
"Walk over there and look at the [bleeping] sheet," he said after qualifying 33rd for the USG Sheetrock 400. "We're all slow. We went restrictor-plate racing [at Daytona], and anybody can restrictor-plate race. The restrictor-plate race showed we have five good drivers. This showed that the 36 car with Jeremy Mayfield out-qualified all of us. Ray Evernham fired the guy. I don't know what that means."
Not all of them. Matt Kenseth went out late in the session and posted the 10th-fastest lap, but Biffle, McMurray, David Ragan and Carl Edwards were all looking up at Mayfield, whose Toyota seized the 20th starting spot. Time will tell whether it was a true sign of struggle or an aberration for an organization trying to regain the form that saw it place all five cars in the Chase in 2005.
Friday aside, the past few weeks have revealed plenty of positives for a team that's won two series championships, but lagged behind the competition --particularly in Car of Tomorrow races -- earlier in the year. Edwards won June 17 at Michigan to snap a 52-race winless streak. The next week at Sonoma, McMurray led 30 laps before his gas tank ran dry late in the race. Edwards and McMurray each had strong cars July 1 at New Hampshire. Kenseth continues to embody consistency, finishing in the top 10 in 12 of 18 starts and standing third in points.
And last week at Daytona, McMurray edged Kyle Busch by .005 seconds to claim his first victory in five years. He led a Roush Fenway parade that also saw Edwards finish fourth, Biffle sixth, Kenseth eighth and Ragan 12th. With Kenseth and Edwards in position to make the Chase and McMurray and Biffle on the bubble, team co-owner Jack Roush at least has an outside chance of qualifying his four top drivers for NASCAR's 10-race playoff.
"We've been really strong at the last four races," McMurray said. "Jack's put a lot of emphasis on getting our Car of Tomorrow program stronger, and at Loudon and Sonoma, both Carl and I had a chance to win the race. So I think that shows we're heading in the right direction. Our mile-and-a-half program has always been strong. Even when things weren't great last year, or even this year, the mile-and-a-half program is strong. So if we can get our Car of Tomorrow program just a little bit better, I feel like we'll have everything down."
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Rival drivers aren't surprised. "You never count those guys out," said points leader Jeff Gordon. "I mean, they're always there and fast, no matter what kind of season they're having. So I always think that they're going to be a factor."
Efforts off the track have paid dividends for the Roush team, which merged with Fenway Sports Group, the parent company of the Boston Red Sox, the week of the Daytona 500. The organization purchased a seven-post shaker rig, a $2 million piece of equipment that simulates different setups at different racetracks, and a tool rivals Joe Gibbs Racing and Hendrick Motorsports have had for years. And Roush began conducting tests other than those sanctioned by NASCAR, something other teams have also done with regularity.
Roush Fenway
Chicagoland Lineup
Pos. Driver Speed Time
10. M. Kenseth 181.409 29.767
25. C. Edwards 180.312 29.948
32. D. Ragan 179.850 30.025
33. G. Biffle 179.778 30.037
34. J. McMurray 179.671 30.055
• Complete LineupPractice 1 Speeds
Pos. Driver Speed Time
25. C. Edwards 180.066 29.989
30. M. Kenseth 179.623 30.063
33. D. Ragan 179.408 30.099
34. G. Biffle 179.342 30.110
40. J. McMurray 178.926 30.180
• Complete Speeds"The beginning of the season we started, especially with the Car of Tomorrow being introduced because the way testing was done -- or wasn't done, on our part -- and now we're climbing back up that hill. I feel like the last five weeks, Sonoma, Michigan, New Hampshire, especially, and obviously Daytona, we've been contenders to win and we have won a couple of them. So, I feel great about it. I'm real excited about going forward here," Edwards said.
"It's not just testing, it's making sure you're testing the right things, and it's a big team effort. You know, I tell people, when it was obvious that we were pretty far behind when the Car of Tomorrow was introduced and we were pretty much lost, it was awesome to go to the Tuesday morning meetings and hear guys like [crew chief] Robbie Reiser raise their hand and say, 'Listen, whatever I've got to do, whatever my team has to do.' That's the team mentality we've got going on right now, and that's what's making it work."
Although Kenseth won at California the second week of the season, the Roush group was unusually quiet as Hendrick racked up one victory after another. Hendrick driver Jimmie Johnson isn't surprised Roush seems to be coming back, but that it was ever down to begin with.
"I can say that I've been more surprised that they've had struggles," said the reigning series champion. "Roush has a great company and great drivers, and my opinion has been like everyone else's, like, 'What's going on? Why haven't they been up front fighting for wins?' And it looks like they've got their stuff going in the right direction."
At least until Friday, when the Roush resurgence hit a road block. The Chicagoland qualifying session followed the weekend's first practice, one where all five Roush cars placed 30th or worse. This on a 1.5-mile track, the kind Roush drivers have traditionally thrived on.
"As a group, we're off a little bit," Biffle said. "Guys are beating us somehow. That's frustrating. I think we've gotten better, but we're miles off from where these other guys are."
Only Kenseth salvages bad day with top-10 qualifying run
By David Caraviello, NASCAR.COM
JOLIET, Ill. -- His team has won two of the past four Nextel Cup races, and might have stolen a third had Jamie McMurray not run out of fuel. All five drivers finished in the top 12 last Saturday night at Daytona International Speedway. After slugging through the first half of the season, Roush Fenway Racing seems to have found its footing in NASCAR's premier series.
Well, maybe until Friday, when four Roush drivers finished well down the speed chart in qualifying for Sunday's event at Chicagoland Speedway. One of them, Greg Biffle, was in no mood to talk about a turnaround.
"Walk over there and look at the [bleeping] sheet," he said after qualifying 33rd for the USG Sheetrock 400. "We're all slow. We went restrictor-plate racing [at Daytona], and anybody can restrictor-plate race. The restrictor-plate race showed we have five good drivers. This showed that the 36 car with Jeremy Mayfield out-qualified all of us. Ray Evernham fired the guy. I don't know what that means."
Not all of them. Matt Kenseth went out late in the session and posted the 10th-fastest lap, but Biffle, McMurray, David Ragan and Carl Edwards were all looking up at Mayfield, whose Toyota seized the 20th starting spot. Time will tell whether it was a true sign of struggle or an aberration for an organization trying to regain the form that saw it place all five cars in the Chase in 2005.
Friday aside, the past few weeks have revealed plenty of positives for a team that's won two series championships, but lagged behind the competition --particularly in Car of Tomorrow races -- earlier in the year. Edwards won June 17 at Michigan to snap a 52-race winless streak. The next week at Sonoma, McMurray led 30 laps before his gas tank ran dry late in the race. Edwards and McMurray each had strong cars July 1 at New Hampshire. Kenseth continues to embody consistency, finishing in the top 10 in 12 of 18 starts and standing third in points.
And last week at Daytona, McMurray edged Kyle Busch by .005 seconds to claim his first victory in five years. He led a Roush Fenway parade that also saw Edwards finish fourth, Biffle sixth, Kenseth eighth and Ragan 12th. With Kenseth and Edwards in position to make the Chase and McMurray and Biffle on the bubble, team co-owner Jack Roush at least has an outside chance of qualifying his four top drivers for NASCAR's 10-race playoff.
"We've been really strong at the last four races," McMurray said. "Jack's put a lot of emphasis on getting our Car of Tomorrow program stronger, and at Loudon and Sonoma, both Carl and I had a chance to win the race. So I think that shows we're heading in the right direction. Our mile-and-a-half program has always been strong. Even when things weren't great last year, or even this year, the mile-and-a-half program is strong. So if we can get our Car of Tomorrow program just a little bit better, I feel like we'll have everything down."
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Rival drivers aren't surprised. "You never count those guys out," said points leader Jeff Gordon. "I mean, they're always there and fast, no matter what kind of season they're having. So I always think that they're going to be a factor."
Efforts off the track have paid dividends for the Roush team, which merged with Fenway Sports Group, the parent company of the Boston Red Sox, the week of the Daytona 500. The organization purchased a seven-post shaker rig, a $2 million piece of equipment that simulates different setups at different racetracks, and a tool rivals Joe Gibbs Racing and Hendrick Motorsports have had for years. And Roush began conducting tests other than those sanctioned by NASCAR, something other teams have also done with regularity.
Roush Fenway
Chicagoland Lineup
Pos. Driver Speed Time
10. M. Kenseth 181.409 29.767
25. C. Edwards 180.312 29.948
32. D. Ragan 179.850 30.025
33. G. Biffle 179.778 30.037
34. J. McMurray 179.671 30.055
• Complete LineupPractice 1 Speeds
Pos. Driver Speed Time
25. C. Edwards 180.066 29.989
30. M. Kenseth 179.623 30.063
33. D. Ragan 179.408 30.099
34. G. Biffle 179.342 30.110
40. J. McMurray 178.926 30.180
• Complete Speeds"The beginning of the season we started, especially with the Car of Tomorrow being introduced because the way testing was done -- or wasn't done, on our part -- and now we're climbing back up that hill. I feel like the last five weeks, Sonoma, Michigan, New Hampshire, especially, and obviously Daytona, we've been contenders to win and we have won a couple of them. So, I feel great about it. I'm real excited about going forward here," Edwards said.
"It's not just testing, it's making sure you're testing the right things, and it's a big team effort. You know, I tell people, when it was obvious that we were pretty far behind when the Car of Tomorrow was introduced and we were pretty much lost, it was awesome to go to the Tuesday morning meetings and hear guys like [crew chief] Robbie Reiser raise their hand and say, 'Listen, whatever I've got to do, whatever my team has to do.' That's the team mentality we've got going on right now, and that's what's making it work."
Although Kenseth won at California the second week of the season, the Roush group was unusually quiet as Hendrick racked up one victory after another. Hendrick driver Jimmie Johnson isn't surprised Roush seems to be coming back, but that it was ever down to begin with.
"I can say that I've been more surprised that they've had struggles," said the reigning series champion. "Roush has a great company and great drivers, and my opinion has been like everyone else's, like, 'What's going on? Why haven't they been up front fighting for wins?' And it looks like they've got their stuff going in the right direction."
At least until Friday, when the Roush resurgence hit a road block. The Chicagoland qualifying session followed the weekend's first practice, one where all five Roush cars placed 30th or worse. This on a 1.5-mile track, the kind Roush drivers have traditionally thrived on.
"As a group, we're off a little bit," Biffle said. "Guys are beating us somehow. That's frustrating. I think we've gotten better, but we're miles off from where these other guys are."
