Roush Fenway Weekly Advance | ROVAL
The NASCAR Cup Series is going road racing in its own back yard this Sunday, with the third-ever race at the ROVAL at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Jack Roush has nine road course wins, with an average finish of 17.5 on road courses in the NCS.
ROVAL at Charlotte Motor Speedway (2.28 Miles)
Bank of America ROVAL 400
Sunday, Oct. 11 | 2:30 p.m. ET
NBC, PRN, SiriusXM Channel 90
· Ryan Newman, No. 6 Castrol Ford Mustang
· Chris Buescher, No. 17 Fastenal Ford Mustang
Focus Shifts to ROVAL at Charlotte Motor Speedway
· The ROVAL at Charlotte Motor Speedway hosts just its third NASCAR Cup event ever this weekend, a race that will mark the second (and final) road course race of the 2020 season.
· This weekend’s 109-lap event is the final race in the round of 12 of the NASCAR Playoffs, with Kansas, Texas, Martinsville and Phoenix remaining on the remaining slate.
· The starting lineup will continue to be set by three competition-based metrics, rewarding both season-long and single-race performance. Newman will roll off 15th at the ROVAL, while Buescher fires off 21st.
· Four weeks of NASCAR action were completed prior to the COVID-19 hiatus with races at Atlanta, Homestead, Texas, Bristol, Richmond, Talladega, Dover and Martinsville postponed before the schedule later picked back up in mid-May.
Talladega Recap, ROVAL Preview
· Newman used his typical Superspeedway strategy in Sunday’s race at Talladega, surviving a majority of the chaos before putting the Guaranteed Rate Ford in contention late. He crossed the line seventh, and was bumped to fifth following a penalty for two cars in front, but was later credited with a sixth-place finish after one of those penalties was rescinded for a competitor who finished in front.
· Buescher had a much different approach to the 500-mile race, leading 15 laps and keeping the SunnyD colors in the thick of the action early and often. He too was in contention late, crossing the line eighth initially. With the initial penalty to two cars, he was bumped up to sixth, but was later penalized by NASCAR, relegating him to a 22nd-place run.
· Castrol returns to Newman’s Ford Sunday at the ROVAL, for the brand’s final as the primary in the 2020 season.
· Fastenal is back on Buescher’s machine, as both cars continue to sport pink numbers in support of Breast Cancer Awareness month.
Road Course Racing
Overall, Roush Fenway has 327 starts on road courses in NCS and NXS action with nine wins, 56 top fives, 117 top-10s, eight poles and 765 laps led. In Cup action alone, Jack Roush’s Fords have an average finish of 17.5 on road courses with 76 top-10 results. In 111 starts in the Xfinity Series, Roush has an average finish of 16.5.
Lately on the Road
Chris Buescher is coming off a strong fifth-place run at the most recent road course on the Cup circuit, finishing fifth at the Daytona Road Course just two months ago. He restarted well inside the top-10 late in the race, and hung tough amongst the field to bring home a top-five.
ROVAL Refresh
This weekend the Cup Series stars hit the track at the 17-turn ROVAL for just the third time ever. Once crossing the start/finish line, the cars will make a hard left turn into the turns 1 & 2 side of the infield, before embarking on a challenging adventure through winding hills and turns. Once through the road course portion, cars will hit the oval once again between turns 1 & 2, before getting up to speed down the backstretch. The entrance to turn three features a challenging chicane – updated from 2018 – before cars get back up to speed, complete turn four, and dive left one last time, completing turn 17 on the front stretch.
Victories on the Road
Former RFR driver Carl Edwards was the last Jack Roush driver to go to victory lane on a road course, earning the win at Sonoma in 2014. Mark Martin, winner of the other four road course races in NCS action, also won at Sonoma in 1997, and went to victory lane at Watkins Glen in three straight races from 1993-95. On the Xfinity side, Edwards is responsible for three of the four victories, all in the 60 car, crossing the line first at Watkins Glen (2012), Road America (2010) and Montreal (2009). Chris Buescher also went to victory lane in the 60 in 2014 at Mid-Ohio.
As for the Oval Portion
Considering a good portion of the oval surface of Charlotte Motor Speedway is in play this weekend, we will dive into those stats for Roush Fenway on the typical 1.5-mile oval. In NCS action, Jack Roush has eight wins, 46 top-five and 80 top-10 finishes. In Xfinity action, Roush has 12 wins in 123 starts with 33 top-five and 60 top-10 results.
Driven for a Cause
Throughout the month of October, Roush Fenway Racing will show its support for Breast Cancer Awareness Month by running special pink numbers on its Ford Mustangs. In addition, Roush Fenway Fords will sport pink ‘Driven for a Cause’ ribbon decals on its Ford Mustangs.
