NASCAR Hall of Fame team owner Jack Roush may not attend every Cup race anymore, but he’s still very active in the operation of the racing organization he founded, now known as Roush Fenway Keselowski (RFK) Racing.
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Roush is now 83 years old and has understandably slowed down in recent years. But when he passed the baton to Brad Keselowski after the 2021 season, making the 2012 Cup champion a one-third owner of the company, Roush knew he was putting things in good hands.
“Jack’s an interesting guy — obviously very smart, very technical,” Keselowski said on a recent episode of the Chasing Checkers podcast with Chase McCabe. “He’s in a season of life that makes it hard for him to be everyday-engaged. We probably talk once every week or two, where I try to catch him up on what’s going on.
“What I really respect about Jack is [that] he pushes very hard for accountability, which is something that is important, outside of even our business, but [in] all aspects of our life. He drives accountability harder than anybody I’ve ever seen.”
It would not be surprising if Roush has held Keselowski accountable for his shortcomings. Prior to joining RFK, Keselowski not only won the 2012 Cup championship, but he also earned 35 Cup wins.
But since taking over much of the day-to-day responsibilities of RFK starting in 2022, Keselowski has earned just one win and comes into Sunday’s race at his home state track, Michigan International Speedway, in a disappointing 32nd place.
Although he’s scaled back on some of his duties, Roush remains active with RFK, still holding the titles of founder, CEO, and co-owner, as well as majority owner of outside businesses Roush Enterprises, Roush Performance, Roush Industries, and Roush CleanTech, all based in suburban Detroit, Mich.
Before taking on John Henry and eventually Keselowski as partners and co-owners, Roush’s teams won two NASCAR Cup championships, five Xfinity Series titles, and one Truck Series crown.
Roush eyed Keselowski as his eventual replacement
Keselowski had been firmly entrenched at Team Penske from the end of 2009 through 2021, but Roush made Keselowski an offer he couldn’t refuse: become part of a three-way partnership with Roush and Henry, with eventual plans to pass the baton of leadership to Keselowski once Roush and Henry called it quits.
“I’ll be able to back away some and to not go to all the races and not be the first one on top of the pit box and the last one in my car to go home as I’ve been in the past for most of my time,” Roush said at the time.
“I enjoy passing the baton to Brad. Steve (RFK president Steve Newmark) questioned me if I was really willing to do that, and I said, ‘Well, as long as I can keep one hand on it for a while, it will work for me.’”
Now, we may be seeing Keselowski’s transition into more of a team owner than a driver.
