Succession plans in place at Roush-Fenway

Jack Roush has a horizontal retirement plan. He plans to go out of the paddock horizontally and not before

As the driver landscape in NASCAR trends younger, the ownership landscape is seeing an upwards trend.

Jack Roush, owner of Roush-Fenway Racing, celebrated his 76th year of life last week. Despite being 76, Roush has no plans for retirement, according to Steve Newmark, president of Roush Fenway Racing.

“Jack’s in it for the long haul. He has no retirement plans. This is his retirement. We talk about it all the time. He doesn’t want to go play golf. He doesn’t want to sit on a yacht. He wants to come to the racetrack," Newmark stated.

Since he retired from racing, Mark Martin can be seen in a small “behind-the-scenes" role with the organization as an advisor and “cheerleader".

“If it comes with a check, then it is a job. I am not looking for a job. Right now, I am probably part-time sports psychologist," Martin said jokingly about his role.

Before the announcement, there was speculation that Martin would join Matt Kenseth in buying out Roush. However, that is not the case.

Martin would do anything for Roush, except take over the team. The reasoning behind this is his age and the life he has developed outside of racing.

“The life I developed outside of the racecar is something I won’t give up for even Jack Roush. It’s too precious to me. For 40 years, I had laser focus. I am so proud that I had that because I have come to the realization that I am not good at a damn thing other than driving racecars. It’s pretty fun to open up your horizon and experience life," Martin stated.

There is no fear about the succession plans for Roush-Fenway Racing. Amongst the Fenway group and Jack’s company in Michigan, there are technical succession plans in place.

Because of those plans, Newmark believes the organization is comfortable with what the succession plans in place.

We have no fear about the succession plans. For right now, we are comfortable with what we have going forward. We know Jack is going to be around," Newmark continued.

“We know that we have a stable ownership group and they are laser focused on trying to win races. This isn’t the retirement plan for any of the owners. They would be just fine if they didn’t have racing." KickinTheTires