Roush Fenway Ready to Throw It Back at ‘The Track Too Tough to Tame’
One of NASCAR’s most traditional and historic events is back as the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) and NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) converge on Darlington Raceway this weekend. A Roush Fenway Ford has visited victory lane 20 times across NASCAR’s three major touring series at ‘The Track Too Tough to Tame.’
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS)
Darlington Raceway
Sunday, September 2 | 6 p.m. ET
NBCSN, PRN, Sirius 90
· Matt Kenseth, No. 6 Oscar Mayer Ford Fusion
· Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 17 John Deere Ford Fusion
NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS)
Darlington Raceway
Saturday, September 1 | 3:30 p.m. ET
NBC, MRN, Sirius 90
· Ryan Reed, No. 16 Drive Down A1C Lilly Diabetes Ford Mustang
· Austin Cindric, No. 60 Ford Hall of Fans Mustang
Darlington Two-Step
Roush Fenway has twice won consecutive MENCS races at Darlington, including a season sweep in 1999 with former driver and current NBC commentator Jeff Burton. Roush Fenway also earned victories in consecutive seasons at the egg-shaped oval in 2005 and 2006 with Biffle.
A Tradition Unlike Any Other
This weekend in Darlington, NASCAR’s Official Throwback weekend of the season, will see all four Roush Fenway Fords sport either a throwback paint scheme or sponsor. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. will carry John Deere green across his No. 17 this weekend, a sponsor that Chad Little made famous from 1997-2000. Matt Kenseth, a former winner at the track (2003), will be in the famous Oscar Mayer yellow and orange, as their partnership with RFR goes way back to the early 2000s as a sponsor for both Kenseth and Kurt Busch when they won back-to-back Cup Championships.
On the Xfinity side, Ryan Reed will throw back to Greg Biffle’s iconic U.S. National Guard No. 16 scheme from 2005-06. Austin Cindric, running the No. 60 as part of Roush Fenway’s #TheProgram60, will sport an old school Ford look from 1983.
TALE OF THE TAPE
In 236 all-time NASCAR starts at ‘The Lady in Black,’ Jack Roush’s Fords have 20 wins, 69 top-five and 115 top-10 finishes, along with 20 poles. Over the years RFR has led 4500+ laps across the Cup, Xfinity and Truck series, with more than 82,000 miles logged at the 1.366-mile track. In MENCS action alone, RFR has finished top-10 in 45 percent (69-of-154) of the races with 35 top-five results and five wins.
Kickin’ It Old School
Legendary Roush Fenway drivers Mark Martin, Jeff Burton and Greg Biffle are responsible for the five Cup wins for Jack Roush at Darlington. Martin earned Roush’s first Cup win back in 1993 after leading 178 laps. Burton swept the 1999 events as the dominant car, and Biffle earned the two most recent victories in 2005 and 2006.
Most All-Time
It’s no secret that when Roush has dominated in the Xfinity Series at Darlington. In 75 starts, the organization has 15 wins, 33 top-five and 43 top-10s. Mark Martin is responsible for eight of the victories, second-most for him among any track, after winning five of the first seven races at the track for Roush from 1993-96. He also went on to win in 1999, and swept again in 2000. Jeff Burton got in on the fun with wins in 1997, 2001 and 2002, while Biffle earned a win in 2004. Most recently, Kenseth drove to victory lane in 2005 and 2009.
Point Standings Entering Darlington
MENCS
· Ricky Stenhouse Jr. sits 79 points outside the final transfer spot in the playoffs, trailing Alex Bowman, with just two races left before the playoffs begin at Las Vegas.
· The No. 6, split between Trevor Bayne and Matt Kenseth, is 29th in owner points.
NXS
· Ryan Reed checks in 11th in the Xfinity standings with four races remaining until the playoffs.
· The No. 60 car, split between Austin Cindric, Chase Briscoe and Ty Majeski, is 22nd in owner points.
Roush Fenway Darlington Wins
1993-2 Martin Cup
1999-1 Burton Cup
1999-2 Burton Cup
2005 Biffle Cup
2006 Biffle Cup
1993-2 Martin NXS
1994-1 Martin NXS
1994-2 Martin NXS
1995-2 Martin NXS
1996-1 Martin NXS
1997-2 Burton NXS
1999-2 Martin NXS
2000-1 Martin NXS
2000-2 Martin NXS
2001-2 Burton NXS
2002-1 Burton NXS
2002-2 Burton NXS
2004-1 Biffle NXS
2005 Kenseth NXS
2009 Kenseth NXS
By the Numbers at Darlington Raceway
Race Win T5 T10 Pole Laps Led AvSt AvFn Miles
154 5 35 69 7 49105 2718 16.5 15.8 67077.43
75 15 33 43 12 10284 1800 10.1 12.4 14047.94
7 0 1 3 1 944 9 16.0 15.9 1289.50
236 20 69 115 20 60333 4527 14.2 14.7 82414.87
