NASCAR: Will 2015 Xfinity Series Title Change Things At RFR?
It’s no secret that Roush-Fenway Racing is floundering hard in NASCAR, a place where they once dominated.
Once upon a time, they were a championship-winning organization everywhere from the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series to the Xfinity Series and ultimately, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Their power was on par with Hendrick Motorsports and at one point, Joe Gibbs Racing. They also once boasted some of the greatest names in the sport, including Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth, and Kurt Busch.
Now, it looks like the mighty have fallen.
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They no longer house a CWTS team, only two of their four Xfinity Series drivers have won this season (although all four are in the top-10 in points), and their Sprint Cup program ceased to be a threat a long time ago. Other than that, not much can be said for RFR. Despite leading the Xfinity Series points, they’ve only won three races. Yet, would an Xfinity Series championship be enough to turn around the RFR organization’s fortunes?
The last time an RFR driver won any sort of championship was Carl Edwards in 2007, when he won the Busch Series (Xfinity) title. Yes, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. won consecutive Nationwide titles in 2011 and 2012 but his performance since has made most forget about that success. It’s been eight long years since RFR has had a driver worth possibly getting excited about, but with Chris Buescher’s consistency (a lot like Kenseth’s 2003 Cup campaign), it is looking more and more like he’ll be hoisting the Xfinity title at Homestead. It would be a huge boost for RFR and no doubt a step in the right direction, but it may take more to revive the team.
The stats do not lie. He has finished in the top-10 in 18 of the 28 events run this season, over half of his 2015 starts. Despite his wins at Iowa and Dover, he’s had the strength of that consistency to keep his title hopes padded. But look at his closest title competitors. Chase Elliott, second in the points, has only one win despite having 22 top-10s. Regan Smith has two wins as well despite having 21 top-10s. Even Ty Dillon, fourth in the points, is winless but has 20 top-10s.
It does look like Buescher’s consistent top-15 (26) and top-20 (28) finishes have helped out some, but wins would go a long way in solidifying that points lead. If the Cup drivers who frequent the Xfinity Series were able to earn points for their incessant visits, then Buescher wouldn’t have a chance. He’s been good, the whole RFR organization has been good this season in the Xfinity Series, but not good enough. That sums up their 2015 NASCAR campaign.
So when it comes down to it, it will take more than just this one Xfinity championship to turn RFR around. It’s more a matter of performance (strong runs, consistency, dominance echoing their performances in the 90s’ and early 00s’) than it is anything else. There needs to be a huge shift, be it equipment or drivers, because right now they are the team doing the least with the most and that isn’t fair to their current set of drivers or the team’s legacy. If the team is to make a big turnaround, don’t expect it in 2016.
Weigh in below on whether or not RFR will turn around any time soon or if Buescher wins the 2015 Xfinity championship.