NASCAR Xfinity Series: Roush Fenway Racing shutdown not a surprise

Roush Fenway Racing announced Thursday that they will not field a team in the 2019 NASCAR Xfinity Series season, but this news was not a huge surprise.

Roush Fenway Racing confirmed on Thursday that after 27 consecutive seasons of competing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series on some level, usually a full-time level, they will not be fielding a team in the series in the upcoming 2019 season.

Ty Majeski, who drove for the team behind the wheel of the #60 Ford in 12 of the 33 races on the 2018 schedule, hinted last month that Roush Fenway’s Xfinity Series team would shut down before the 2019 season.

But even aside of the fact that Majeski hinted about the potential shutdown of Roush Fenway Racing by saying that he had been told by the team that they would not have an Xfinity Series in the 2019 season and therefore would not field an entry for him, the confirmation of the shutdown of their Xfinity Series team was not much of a surprise.

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In the 2018 season, a total of four drivers drove for Roush Fenway Racing. Of those four drivers, three were part-time drivers while one was a full-time driver. These three part-time drivers split time driving one car, the #60 Ford, while the #16 Ford was driven by the team’s lone full-time driver.

As stated, Ty Majeski drove for the team in 12 races behind the wheel of the #60 Ford in the 2018 season. Chase Briscoe drove in 12 races behind the wheel of the #60 Ford last season as well while Austin Cindric drove in the 2018 season’s other nine races behind the wheel of the #60 Ford. Meanwhile, Ryan Reed was the team’s full-time driver of the #16 Ford for the fifth consecutive season.

With Reed’s primary sponsor, Lilly Diabetes, having withdrawn their sponsorship from Roush Fenway Racing, the 25-year-old Bakersfield, California native had previously confirmed that he would not be returning to the team in the 2019 season.

With Majeski having confirmed that he would not be returning to Roush Fenway Racing in the 2019 season and with Chase Briscoe and Austin Cindric being set to drive full-time for Stewart-Haas Racing and Team Penske behind the wheel of the #98 Ford and the #22 Ford, respectively, this year, the only true direction in which the team could turn was down the road that led to them shutting down ahead of the 2019 season, and that is exactly what happened.

Were you surprised that Roush Fenway Racing confirmed that they will not be fielding a team in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in the 2019 season, or was this news news that you had expected to hear at some point, especially after what Ty Majeski stated last month?