View source for Jack Roush

{{Short description|American businessman and race team owner}}
{{BLP sources|date=June 2009}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Jack Roush
| image              = Jack Roush (44846515832).jpg
| alt                = 
| caption            = Roush in 2018
| birth_date         = {{birth date and age|1942|04|19}}
| birth_place        = [[Covington, Kentucky]], U.S.
| death_place        = 
| other_names        = 
| known_for          = 
| occupation         = NASCAR team owner
| employer           = [[Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing]] (owner)
}}
'''Jack Roush''' (born '''Jackson Earnest Roush'''<ref>FAA Records</ref>{{Full citation needed|date=March 2023}} on April 19, 1942) is the founder, CEO, and co-owner of [[Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing]], a [[NASCAR]] team headquartered in [[Concord, North Carolina]], and is chairman of Roush Enterprises.

Roush Enterprises is the parent company for Roush Racing as well as [[Roush Industries]], a freelance engineering firm; [[Roush Performance]], an automotive aftermarket development company; and ROUSH CleanTech, a manufacturer of propane [[autogas]] fuel systems, all headquartered in [[Livonia, Michigan]].  His companies employ more than 2,000 people throughout North America and Europe.

Rarely seen without his trademark [[Panama hat]], Roush is known on the NASCAR circuit as "[[The Cat in the Hat]]".

Roush was inducted into the [[International Motorsports Hall of Fame]] on April 27, 2006.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://motorsportshalloffame.com/main/03_halloffame.htm|title=Jack Roush at the International Motorsports Hal of Fame|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131228013758/http://motorsportshalloffame.com/main/03_halloffame.htm|archive-date=2013-12-28}}</ref> In 2008, Roush was elected to the [[Michigan Sports Hall of Fame]] and was inducted on September 13, 2010, in [[Novi, Michigan|Novi]].
On May 23, 2018, Roush was selected as one of the five inductees for the 2019 [[NASCAR Hall of Fame]] class. Roush was also inducted into the [[Experimental Aircraft Association|EAA]] Warbirds of America Hall of Fame on November 8, 2018, for his contributions to [[warbird]]s and the warbird community.<ref>{{cite web |title=EAA Honors Five Aviators with Halls of Fame Induction on Nov. 8 |date=12 November 2018 |url=https://www.aviationpros.com/aircraft/business-general-aviation/press-release/12436360/experimental-aircraft-association-eaa-eaa-honors-five-aviators-with-halls-of-fame-induction-on-nov-8 |access-date=21 July 2020}}</ref> On November 3, 2022, he was inducted into the SEMA (Specialty Aftermarket Market Association) Hall of Fame. Roush was inducted into the [[Motorsports Hall of Fame of America]] in 2022. In 2025, he was inducted into the [[Trans-Am Series]] Hall of Fame.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://speedsport.com/sports-cars/other-sports-cars/inaugural-class-of-trans-am-hall-of-fame-revealed/ |title=Inaugural Class of Trans Am Hall of Fame Revealed |website=Speed Sport |date=February 5, 2025 |access-date=February 5, 2025}}</ref>

==Early years==
[[Image:roushmustang.jpg|thumb|left|[[Klaus Ludwig]] drove the Roush-Zakspeed Ford Mustang Turbo during the 1981 and 1982 [[IMSA GT Championship|Camel GT]] race seasons.]]
Roush was born in [[Covington, Kentucky]] and grew up in [[Manchester, Ohio]]. He earned a mathematics degree with a minor in physics from [[Berea College]], and a master's in scientific mathematics from [[Eastern Michigan University]].<ref name="berea_1">{{cite news |last1=Miller |first1=Jason Lee |title=Distinguished Alumnus Award: Jack Roush '64 – Berea College Magazine |url=https://magazine.berea.edu/alumni-connections/alumni-awards/distinguished-alumnus-award-jack-roush-64/ |access-date=27 May 2023 |work=magazine.berea.edu |date=15 January 2019}}</ref><ref name="berea_2">{{cite news |last1=Story |first1=Mark |title=The Kentucky college that launched a NASCAR icon to the Hall of Fame |url=https://www.kentucky.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/mark-story/article214802895.html |access-date=27 May 2023 |work=kentucky.com |date=13 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200508105854/https://www.kentucky.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/mark-story/article214802895.html |archive-date=8 May 2020}}</ref>

Roush worked at Ford after graduating in 1966, and left in 1970 to pursue his own company. He worked for a year at [[Chrysler]] before leaving to open his own engineering business. Roush then went on to partner with [[Wayne Gapp]] to race in [[NHRA]], [[International Hot Rod Association|IHRA]], and AHRA [[drag racing]] events.

Throughout much of his career Roush offered for sale the parts that he developed for his own team. In 1982, he partnered with German firm [[Zakspeed]] to develop road racing vehicles for [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]. This led to a very successful run in the [[Trans-Am series]] and [[International Motor Sports Association|IMSA]] [[IMSA GT Championship|Camel GT]] in the 1980s and early 90s. In 1988, Roush moved south and founded a [[NASCAR]] [[Winston Cup Series]] team with driver [[Mark Martin]].

==NASCAR==
[[Image:JackRoushMilwaukee2009.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Roush at the [[Milwaukee Mile]] in 2009]]
RFK Racing currently fields three cars in the [[NASCAR Cup Series]] (driven by [[Brad Keselowski]], [[Chris Buescher]], and [[Ryan Preece]]). The Xfinity team was shut down at the end of the 2018 season. Roush has won eight championships as a car owner in NASCAR's top three series: two Cup titles (2003 with [[Matt Kenseth]] and 2004 with [[Kurt Busch]]), five Xfinity Series titles (2002 with [[Greg Biffle]], 2007 with [[Carl Edwards]], 2011–2012 with Stenhouse Jr., and 2015 with Chris Buescher) and a [[Camping World Truck Series]] title in 2000 with Biffle.  Roush has two [[Daytona 500]] victories as a car owner, both with driver Kenseth in 2009 and 2012. Since Roush entered NASCAR competition his team has 283 wins and 212 poles.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.roushfenway.com/jack-roush-bio|title=Jack Roush Bio at RoushFenway.|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091014030943/http://www.roushfenway.com/jack-roush-bio|archive-date=2009-10-14}}</ref>

===Opposition of Toyota===
Throughout his NASCAR career Roush has been an outspoken opponent of [[Toyota]]'s NASCAR operations.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.gminsidenews.com/forums/f61/jack-roush-declares-war-toyota-nascar-43902/|title = Jack Roush declares war on Toyota in NASCAR| date=24 January 2015 }}</ref> Roush is vocally loyal to [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/racing/columns/story?id=3282306|title=Newton: Ford owner Roush, Toyota exec White in war of words|date=7 March 2008}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.autoevolution.com/news/ford-continue-collaboration-with-roush-fenway-racing-1693.html|title=Ford Continue Collaboration with Roush Fenway Racing|date=21 November 2012}}</ref> and throughout his career has made cracks against Toyota being in NASCAR. In 2007 Roush entered a verbal feud with Toyota team leader Lee White during the Toyota controversy following the [[2007 NASCAR Gatorade Duel Scandal|rocket fuel incident]].

==Roush Performance==
{{Main|Roush Performance}}
[[Image:Ford Mustang Probe GTP.jpg|thumb|left|A Roush-engineered [[Ford Mustang]] Probe [[IMSA GT Championship|IMSA GTP]] car.]]
Roush Performance sells a variety of vehicles, parts, and high-performance crate engines. Perhaps best known for the line of upfitted Ford Mustangs, they have more than 16,000 vehicles on the roads today. Typical improvements on the base chassis include appearance packages (body kit, wheels, etc.), suspension and handling upgrades, and horsepower boosts through the use of a ROUSHcharger supercharger system. ROUSH Performance sells versions of their Mustang with as much as 775 horsepower and 610&nbsp;lb-ft of torque.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.roushperformance.com/vehicles/mustang-2017-p51.html|title = 2017 ROUSH P-51 Mustang}}</ref>

==ROUSH CleanTech==
[[File:RoushCleanTech logo copy.jpg|thumb|ROUSH CleanTech designs, engineers, manufactures and installs propane autogas fuel systems for Ford vehicles and Blue Bird school buses.]]
By 2008, Roush expanded into offering propane-autogas-fueled vehicles designed for fleet usage and in 2010, formed ROUSH CleanTech.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.greenfleetmagazine.com/article/51847/roush-cleantech-three-years-of-steady-growth|title=ROUSH CleanTech: Three years of steady growth, Green Fleet magazine, January 6, 2014|access-date=January 6, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140106235932/http://www.greenfleetmagazine.com/article/51847/roush-cleantech-three-years-of-steady-growth|archive-date=January 6, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> The company designs, engineers, manufactures and installs [[clean technology]] fuel systems, including propane autogas and electric propulsion technology for medium-duty Ford commercial vehicles and Type A and Type C Blue Bird Corporation school buses

==Plane crashes==
[[File:Jack Roush-RSR 3.7.15.JPG|thumb|Roush at [[Las Vegas Motor Speedway]] in 2015]]
On April 19, 2002 (his 60th birthday), Roush almost lost his life when his private plane, an [[Aircam]], went down in a lake in [[Troy, Alabama]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://dms.ntsb.gov/pubdms/search/document.cfm?docID=432509&docketID=33410&mkey=54560|title = Upgraded Database System}}</ref>    Roush was underwater and unconscious, suffering from a concussion, when Larry Hicks, a retired Marine in a nearby boat, rescued Roush from under water, pulled him to safety, and administered CPR.  Shortly afterwards, Roush was flown to [[UAB Hospital]] in [[Birmingham, Alabama]], where he was treated for a head injury, broken ribs, and a shattered left leg.  Hicks was injured as a result of the rescue, suffering cramps in both his arms and first degree chemical burns on his body from the fuel.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://media.ford.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=11738|title=Ford Jack Roush Update|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100801201612/http://media.ford.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=11738|archive-date=2010-08-01}}</ref>

On July 27, 2010, Roush crashed his [[Beechcraft Premier|Hawker Beechcraft Premier 390]] jet (registration N6JR) during an approach to the [[EAA AirVenture Oshkosh]] airshow in [[Oshkosh, Wisconsin]], in the late afternoon.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://jalopnik.com/5598098/jack-roush-in-plane-crash-at-oshkosh|title=Jack Roush Crashes Plane In Wisconsin|date=28 July 2010 }}</ref> He walked out of the plane and was taken to a nearby hospital.<ref name="Yahoo2010PlaneCrash">{{cite news|last=Bromberg|first=Nick|author-link=Nick Bromberg|title=Jack Roush injured in plane crash in Wisconsin|url=https://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/post/Jack-Roush-injured-in-plane-crash-in-Wisconsin?urn=nascar-258616|access-date=28 July 2010|newspaper=[[Yahoo! Sports]]|date=July 28, 2010}}</ref> His condition was listed at serious but stable that evening. On August 3, Roush was upgraded to fair condition.<ref name=Yahoo2010PlaneCrash /> On August 13, Roush made his first at track appearance since the incident at the [[Michigan International Speedway]]. During that time he confirmed that he fractured his back, broke his jaw, and lost vision in his left eye as a result.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nascar.com/2010/news/headlines/cup/08/13/jroush.returns.track.michigan.eye.crash/index.html?eref=/news/headlines/cup|title=Roush returns to track bearing scars from crash|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110622085721/http://www.nascar.com/2010/news/headlines/cup/08/13/jroush.returns.track.michigan.eye.crash/index.html?eref=/news/headlines/cup|archive-date=22 June 2011|author-first1=David|author-last1=Caraviello|date=13 August 2010|publisher=NASCAR}}</ref> The [[National Transportation Safety Board]] attributed the cause of the crash to pilot error, specifically, "pilot's decision not to advance the engines to takeoff power during the go-around, as stipulated by the airplane flight manual, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall at a low altitude."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://dms.ntsb.gov/pubdms/search/document.cfm?docID=339847&docketID=49825&mkey=76778|title=NTSB Report}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Racing-Reference owner|Jack_Roush}}

{{Roush Fenway Racing}}
{{2019 NASCAR HOF}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roush, Jack}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:1942 births]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Covington, Kentucky]]
[[Category:NASCAR team owners]]
[[Category:Corporate executives in the automobile industry]]
[[Category:Survivors of aviation accidents or incidents]]
[[Category:Berea College alumni]]
[[Category:International Motorsports Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:People from Manchester, Ohio]]
[[Category:NASCAR Hall of Fame inductees]]