Races [16 + 2*] that Fastenal is scheduled to be the primary sponsor in 2013:
Daytona, Sprint Unlimited* - 2/16
Daytona 500 - 2/24
Martinsville - 4/7
Texas - 4/13
Talladega - 5/5
Charlotte, All-Star Race* - 5/18
Charlotte - 5/26
Michigan - 6/16
New Hampshire - 7/14
Indianapolis - 7/28
Pocono - 8/4
Bristol - 8/24
Atlanta - 9/1
Chicago - 9/15
Dover - 9/29
Kansas - 10/6
Charlotte - 10/12
Phoenix - 11/10

Races [5] that Subway is scheduled to be the primary sponsor in 2013:
Phoenix - 3/3
Auto Club - 3/24
Dover - 6/2
Daytona - 7/6
Talladega - 10/20

Races [5] that Aflac is scheduled to be the primary sponsor in 2013:
Las Vegas - 3/10
Kansas - 4/21
Sonoma - 6/23
New Hampshire - 9/22
Texas - 11/3

Races [4] that Kellogg's [Frosted Flakes(2) / Cheez-It(2)] is scheduled to be the primary sponsor in 2013:
Bristol - 3/17
Pocono - 6/9
Watkins Glen - 8/11
Richmond - 9/7

Races [4] that Best Buy/Geek Squad is scheduled to be the primary sponsor in 2013:
Richmond - 4/27
Darlington - 5/11
Michigan - 8/18
Martinsville - 10/27

Races [1] that UPS is scheduled to be the primary sponsor in 2013:
Kentucky - 6/29

Races [1] that no sponsor has been named in 2013:
Homestead - 11/17

Contracts: Sponsors: 2013; Driver: 2013+; Manufacturer: 2013

Roush Fenway Racing will host their 2013 Fan Day events, on Thursday, May 23rd. Fans are invited to Roush Fenway's corporate headquarters in Concord, N.C. to participate in an array of activities that kick off with autograph sessions by all seven Roush Fenway drivers and Jack Roush. Be sure to stop by and meet your favorite Roush Fenway Racing driver! Tickets for the autograph sessions will be distributed at 8:00am/et. More info at roushfenway.com.(5-16-2013)

Roush to run triple Fastenal Ford's in the Coca Cola 600 UPDATE: Fastenal Racing will be on #16-Greg Biffle, #17-Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. and #99-Carl Edwards Ford Racing Fusions for the NASCAR Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway next weekend.(Roush Fenway Racing Facebook)(5-18-2013)
UPDATE: Held on Memorial Day weekend, the Coca-Cola 600 presents an opportunity for the NASCAR community to display appreciation for our country's military forces. This year, Fastenal is proud to honor military service men and women, both active and retired, with a three-car tribute on the #16, #17 and #99 Ford Fusions at Charlotte Motor Speedway. These three cars, known as the Fastenal Tribute Cars, will feature the names of current Fastenal employees who served in the military. David MacFadden (First Sergeant, U.S. Army) will be displayed on the hood of the #99, and Brian Ashbee (Chief Quartermaster, U.S. Navy) and Anthony Phillips (Private First Class, U.S. Army) will see their names on the hood of the #17. The displays are part of Fastenal's "Heroes Hired Here" campaign honoring employees who are active or retired military members. MacFadden, Ashbee and Phillips were the top three finishers in a Fastenal employee essay contest. As the contest winner, MacFadden will also receive a trip for two to the Bank of America 500 in Charlotte on October 12th. Fastenal will be posting the winners' stories on the Fastenal Racing Facebook page this week (https://www.facebook.com/fastenalracing). "We're extremely proud of the hundreds of former and current military personnel who are part of the Fastenal Blue Team," said Fastenal President Lee Hein. "The Tribute Cars are a small way of expressing our gratitude to them and all of the men and women who have served our country." This is Fastenal's second season in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series as the primary sponsor for Carl Edwards in the #99 Ford Fusion and second year sponsoring three Cup cars in the Roush Fenway Racing family for the Coca-Cola 600.(Roush Fenway Racing)
ALSO: Roush Fenway Racing's Spring Fan Day is scheduled for Thursday, May 23rd, more info at roushfenway.com. see images of the Fastenal schemes on my #17 Team Schemes page.(5-21-2013)

Geek Squad back on the #99: Geek Squad returns to the track for their second primary race of the season. #99-Carl Edwards last ran the Geek Squad paint scheme in Richmond, where he started in 26th-place and drove to a sixth-place finish.(Roush Fenway), see an image of the car on the #99 team paint schemes page.(5-10-2013)

Edwards To Appear on "LIVE with Kelly and Michael": Roush Fenway NASCAR driver #99-Carl Edwards is scheduled to appear on ABC's "LIVE with Kelly and Michael" on Tuesday, April 30th with hosts Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan. This will be Edwards' third time on the show and he will join actor Robert Downey Jr. as a guest on Tuesday's episode. Edwards was a guest on the show in January of 2012 and he co-hosted the show in June 2011 after his win in the Sprint All-Star race. "LIVE with Kelly and Michael" is distributed in national syndication by Disney-ABC Domestic Television and produced by WABC-TV in New York and executive produced by Michael Gelman. The show airs in more than 200 markets across the U.S., check local listings for times in your area.(RFR)(4-29-2013)

Roush Fenway Racing Shows Boston Support with "B-Strong": In the aftermath of the tragic events that occurred during Monday's Boston Marathon, Roush Fenway Racing (RFR) will show its support for the city of Boston with a "B-Strong" tribute this weekend at Kansas Speedway. All three Roush Fenway Ford Fusions will carry "B-Strong" decals during this weekend's NASCAR event and RFR team owner Jack Roush has pledged to donate $100 for every lap the team leads during Sunday's Sprint Cup race.
"When events occur such as what happened earlier this week in Boston, it is our nature to be overwhelmed with a variety of emotions," said Roush. "To have to withstand an act of such senselessness and cowardice against innocent people is disheartening to us all. Our hearts go out to the victims and their families, as well as the entire city of Boston. "As Americans we can all be proud of the way the city of Boston  and the entire nation - has banded together in the wake of this tragedy. We are proud of our Boston connections and feel privileged to be able to play a very small part in supporting the 'B-Strong' effort."
Roush Fenway is half owned by Boston's Fenway Sports Group; the same company that owns and operates the Boston Red Sox, Fenway Park as well as a majority stake in the region's premier sports network, NESN. In support of its sister team, RFR will carry the "B-Strong" decal that the Red Sox organization has used as a rallying point for Bostonians since the events that tragically took the lives of three people, while wounding well over 100 others. "The deplorable acts committed in connection with the Boston Marathon have impacted the entire nation," said Roush Fenway president Steve Newmark. "And it is inspiring to watch the resiliency and unyielding determination of the entire city of Boston in the wake of this tragedy. Their resolve helps to remind us what makes our country so great. We obviously work very closely with the Fenway Sports Management group on a regular basis, and for this to happen right there in their back yard really grabs your attention and drives it home. We are humbled as an organization to be able to support the "B-Strong" effort."
In addition, Roush Fenway will distribute "B-Strong" decals at the race track this weekend that pays tribute to the '617' Boston area code, the "B-Strong" program and provides information on how to support the "The One Fund Boston", an initiative formed by Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and Boston Mayor Tom Menino to help the people most affected by the tragic events. For more information about "The One Fund Boston" and how you can help those most affected visit: www.onefundboston.org.(Roush Fenway Racing)(4-18-2013)

Carl Edwards in ESPN booth for 3 Nationwide races: After a two-race initiation last year, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Carl Edwards will return to the ESPN broadcast booth as an analyst for the next three races in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Edwards will join lap-by-lap announcer Allen Bestwick and analyst Andy Petree in the booth to call the 300-mile race at Texas Motor Speedway on Friday night, April 12, at 8:00pm/et on ESPN2. The race will be the first after a two week break in the schedule for the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Edwards also will call races at Richmond International Raceway on Friday night, April 26 (7:00pm/et on ESPNEWS) and at Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday, May 4 (2:30pm/et on ESPN). In each case, Edwards will compete in the next day's NASCAR Sprint Cup race at the same track. "We're delighted to have Carl back with us," said Rich Feinberg, ESPN vice president, motorsports, production. "He brings great insight as a current driver to his analysis as well as a warm personality. He fits in well with our team and we welcome the opportunity to work with him."(ESPN)(4-9-2013)

Roush Fenway adds marketing resources for partners: Roush Fenway Racing has increased the marketing resources available to the team's partners through the addition of six new hires and the creation of a new department focused on delivering incremental value to team sponsors. The new personnel bring to Roush Fenway areas of expertise including brand marketing, event marketing, television production, digital engagement, NFL player representation and retail activation. Included in RFR's new hires is marketing and industry veteran Mike Mooney, as vice president of partnership development. In addition, the business development department has brought in Garrett Hess as an account executive. Hess moves to RFR from K Sports & Entertainment in Boston where his was Sponsorship Sales Manager and an athlete liaison. In addition to the new personnel is the creation of a strategic marketing department focused on delivering incremental value to team partners through ideation and execution of activation, digital and public relations channels. This team is led by industry veterans Kevin Thomas, Amber Darnell and Kevin Woods, who represent nearly 40 years of NASCAR marketing experience. As one of its first moves, the strategic marketing department added Yasin Id-Deen as Social and Digital Marketing Manager. The team also bolstered its talent and diversity, bringing on television production veteran Rob DiFrank and former Octagon coordinator Amanda Weis as account/pr managers in its sponsor operations department.(Roush Fenway)(4-1-2013)

Jack Roush to be inducted in Texas Motorsports Hall of Fame: Jack Roush's success at Texas Motor Speedway has become a part of the speedway's growing history. It was Roush who became the first team owner to sweep both events at "The Great American Speedway!" during the inaugural season in 1997. His success has not stopped there as he has since gone on to win 18 races as a car owner across NASCAR's top three national series at Texas Motor Speedway, including a record nine in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competition. His dominance at Texas Motor Speedway has earned him the honor of becoming the 15th member inducted into the Texas Motorsports Hall of Fame. Roush will be honored Thursday, April 11, during the Texas Motorsports Hall of Fame Gala benefitting Speedway Children's Charities that will be held in The Speedway Club's Grand Ballroom.
Roush's induction culminates an evening that celebrates the accomplishments of motorsport's most talented drivers and contributors. Other honorees will be five-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson; 2004 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Kurt Busch; IZOD IndyCar Series driver Graham Rahal; and legendary motorsports journalist Chris Economaki posthumously.
Johnson will receive the Texas Motor Speedway Racer of the Year award. In the AAA Texas 500, Johnson became just the second driver to win from the pole for his second career victory at Texas Motor Speedway.
Busch has been instrumental in helping Speedway Children's Charities-Texas Chapter raise funds to benefit children in North Texas. He will be recognized as this year's recipient of the Maj. General Thomas Sadler Award. Busch has helped Speedway Children's Charities-Texas Chapter raise more than $40,000.
Rahal will receive the Texas Motor Speedway Sportsmanship Award for displaying a demeanor both on and off the track that exemplifies the meaning of sportsmanship.
Economaki, motorsport's most noted and accomplished journalist, will be honored posthumously with the Bruton Smith Legend Award.(TMS)(3-29-2013)

Edwards, Gossage on VH1 SATURDAY: Texas Motor Speedway President Eddie Gossage and #99-Carl Edwards will be part of the Emmy Award-nominated "Behind The Music Remastered" series featuring Foreigner that will debut 9:00pm/et Saturday on VH-1 Classic and pay tribute to one of the most successful rock-n-roll bands of its era. Gossage and Edwards will reminisce about their favorite memories of the band as well as their interaction with the group in recent years as Foreigner as become immersed in NASCAR. Foreigner was introduced to the NASCAR industry in 2009 when the group served as the pre-race entertainment headliner for the annual Sprint Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway in April. Now Foreigner has appeared at more NASCAR-related events than any other top Classic Rock band, including a return appearance to Texas Motor Speedway for the spring race last season. It also was the time when VH-1 sat down and interviewed Edwards and Gossage.(TMS)(3-16-2013)

Kellogg's on the #99: Kellogg's will run the Frosted Flakes paint scheme on the #99 to kick off the first of four races in the Kellogg's Ford Fusion this season. Kellogg's will return again for Pocono, Watkins Glen and the fall Richmond races.(Roush Fenway), see an image of the car on the #99 team paint shcemes page.(3-15-2013)

Roush Fenway selected as finalist for Social Media Icon Award: Roush Fenway Racing has been named a finalist for the PR News' Social Media Icon Award. The program is sponsored by PR News and is designated to honor those that "took chances, made incredible strides and understand the power of social media in public relations." RFR has been named a finalist in the category of "Use of Google+", with its marketing efforts through the platform in 2012. Roush Fenway become the first motorsports team to build a significant footprint in the Google+ space and the first team to exceed one million fans in its combined circles. A leader in NASCAR marketing solutions, Roush Fenway has brought home MarCom awards the past two years for its award-winning campaigns for RickyVsTrevor.com and "25 Winning Years." The significantly upped its level of fan engagement with a behind the scenes look at the organization kicking off at the 2012 Daytona Speedweeks with the first ever 'Five Driver Hangout.' The platform also featured live pre and post-race driver 'hangouts' from Daytona International Speedway, as well as G+ Hangouts from Fenway Park and RFR Fan Days.(Roush Fenway Racing)(3-7-2013)

Johnson not pleased with Edwards final restart at Phoenix: #48-Jimmie Johnson was none too pleased with #99-Carl Edwards for the way Edwards restarted the race prior to the final two laps of the Subway Fresh Fit 500 on Sunday. Edwards responded to the accusations with incredulity. Who, me? Was it was some postrace gamesmanship or just matter-of-fact truthfulness? It's hard to say just exactly what happened on lap 315 of the 316-lap event at Phoenix International Raceway, which Edwards won.
"I felt like Carl didn't follow the restart protocol and was slower than the pace car on his last two restarts, and it gives the leader a huge advantage when that happens," Johnson said. "You're supposed to wait until you get between the two lines and take off and this was all going on before it. You're supposed to maintain the speed of the pace car, so I maintained the speed of the pace car and the 99 (of Edwards) is dropping back."
Au contraire, Edwards says. He believes Johnson was speeding up. "I thought, 'Man, he's playing some kind of trick, he's speeding up,'" Edwards said about the final restart. "I thought, 'What's he doing? Usually the guy in second hangs back a little bit and tries to watch, and he pulled up there, and I thought, 'Man, why is he doing that.' Yeah, so maybe I was slowing down, but I wasn't trying to."
Part of the advantage of being the leader is being able to dictate how the race restarts. If NASCAR believes a driver is not adhering to the rules, it often will admonish the driver and warn that any recurrences during the race will result in a penalty. NASCAR never warned Edwards on Sunday.(Sporting News)(3-6-2013)

Osborne helping Edwards, back at the track: Bob Osborne stepped down as #99-Carl Edwards' crew chief last July, citing undisclosed health reasons. He's still helping Edward and Roush Fenway Racing, only from behind the scenes. "Bob is still here at the race track, he's still in all the meetings," Edwards said after new crew chief Jimmy Fennig helped him end a 70-race winless streak. "He doesn't seem as stressed out. He's a little easier to get along with, which is nice." Osborne has been working behind the scenes in a new department that does the planning six races out instead of the usual two.(Associated Press)(3-4-2013)

Carl Edwards wins at Phoenix: #99-Carl Edwards won the Subway Fresh Fit 500(k) Sprint Cup Series race at Phoenix International Raceway for his 1st win of 2013, 2nd win at Phoenix and 20th career win. #48-Johnson barely beat #11-Hamiln for 2nd as they beat-and-banged to the finish on the green-white-checkered finish, Hamlin hung on to 3rd followed by #2-Keselowski, #88-Earnhardt Jr., #15-Bowyer, #20-Kenseth, #14-Stewart, #24-Gordon and #31-Burton.
Pole sitter #55-Mark Martin led 75 laps, had a vibration early in the race, got the lucky dog free pass and finished 21st on the lead lap.
#51-A.J. Allmendinger, making his first start of the season, finished 11th. #10-Danica Patrick who started 40th and struggled most of the weekend, had a right front tire blow on lap 185 and slammed the front stretch wall hard and getting hit by #34-Ragan. Both drivers were uninjured but ended their day, Patrick finished 39th. #39-Newman had a rough day, hitting the wall twice, hard the 2nd time on lap 142 ending his day, finishing 40th. #18-Busch who was to start 4th, then had to go to the rear at the start of the race due to an engine change just before the race, spun and hit the wall once and had other troubles, finally finishing 23rd.
There were 12 lead changes among 9 drivers and 8 cautions for 43 yellow flag laps. The average speed was 105.187mph.
Starting this season, NASCAR doesn't release the track attendance.
See race results, awards, money won, laps led, cautions and more on the Phoenix Race Results page (pdf) and check out the Phoenix Penalty Resport (pdf).
See the Official Race and Points on the Phoenix Official Race and Points Report page (pdf).(3-4-2013)

Roush Fenway Racing honored: Roush Fenway Racing has accumulated a NASCAR record 311 victories during its celebrated 25 year history. It's 2012 "25 Winning Years" marketing platform  designed to highlight and celebrate those accomplishments  has brought home its own accolade; being awarded the 2012 MarCom International Gold Award for public relations/communications campaigns. It marks the second consecutive year that RFR's marketing team has been recognized by MarCom (RFR)(3-3-2013)

Homestead & Edwards on TV Show: Homestead-Miami Speedway will be featured in the February 26 episode of Top Gear on the History Channel. Following last November's Ford Championship Weekend, the speedway hosted BBC America for filming of its hit show and the episode will air at 9:00pm/et on Tuesday, February 26, 2013, featuring 2011 Ford 400 race winner Carl Edwards. The episode will review the newest supercar to come out of the United Kingdom--the McLaren MP4-12C, and see how it stacks up against a good old American NASCAR Sprint Cup Series car. Edwards was behind the wheel of his #99 Roush Fenway Racing Ford Fusion. The guys also head to Las Vegas on a quest to create the ultimate taxi, aiming to keep both driver and passengers happy. After getting some experience riding along with real cabbies, they reveal their creations, put them through a series of tests and then hit the Las Vegas strip to see who can get the most tips.(HMS)(2-26-2016)

Valvoline extends partnership with Roush Fenway: Roush Fenway Racing and Valvoline have announced the extension of their long-running and equally successful NASCAR partnership. The relationship, which spans over a decade and a half, pairs two elite organizations with long histories of automotive performance excellence. RFR will continue to use Valvoline's revolutionary NextGen recycled, re-refined motor oil, which last season helped the team to a win in the famed Daytona 500 and its second consecutive NASCAR Nationwide Series Championship. Valvoline, a leading innovator and supplier of quality, high-performing automotive products, will continue to be the exclusive motor oil provider for Roush Fenway Racing; NASCAR's winningest Team.(Roush Fenway)(1-31-2013)

Ford Racing - RPM & RFR Notes from the NASCAR Sprint Media Tour: the first stop on the final day of the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Media Tour was at the hotel where Ford drivers from Richard Petty Motorsports and Roush Fenway Racing talked and met with the media: Some notes from Twitter world
Roush on working with Penske: "They have a dramatically different car than our car. The underbody and the suspension doesn't relate."
Robbie Reiser promoted from general manager to vice president of competition at Roush Fenway.
Roger Penske says his team's main contact with the RFR is Robbie Reiser.
Jack Roush said he's looking to put Trevor Bayne in a Cup car, full-time for the 2014 season, depending on sponsorship and driver performace.
Roush Fenway Racing had 9 sponsors up for renewal entering 2012 who are back.
There is sponsorhip available for #17-Stenhouse.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was asked directly whether he is dating Danica Patrick. He said he preferred not to talk about his personal life.
Smithfield Foods will expand the number of races it will sponsor the #43 to 25 races.
Marcos Ambrose shaved off his bushy beard he sported at testing.
(from many Twitter reports/feeds)(1-24-2013)

#17 & #99 to swap crews for 2013? Stenhouse crew chief? UPDATE 2: hearing that the #17 & #99 pit crews will swap for the 2013 season. Current crew chief of the #17, Jimmy Fennig could move over to the #99 Ford of Carl Edwards or go back to his position in Roush Fenway's R&D Department. Supposedly Scott Graves, who currently is Ricky Stenhouse Jr.'s crew chief when he drives the #6 Ford in the NASCAR Sprint Cup, will move over to the #17 Sprint Cup Series ride with Stenhouse when he moves to the Sprint Cup Series in 2013. Edwards could end up with Fenning as his crew chief, or keep Chad Norris. his current crew chief. Also, former Edwards crew chief, Bob Osbourne could return to the #99 pitbox. In September Roush Fenway Racing owner Jack Roush said he didn't expect any crew chief changes for the team in 2013 and that Osbourne's "health is still a question mark.''(11-9-2012)
UPDATE: veteran crew chief Jimmy Fennig will move to the #99 team with driver Carl Edwards. Fennig replaces Chad Norris, who filled in after Bob Osborne stepped down in July due to health concerns. Norris is expected to oversee the #60 Nationwide Series team. Scott Graves, who has been working as Edwards' team engineer, will take the reins for Ricky Stenhouse Jr.'s rookie campaign.(FoxSports)(11-14-2012)
UPDATE 3 Roush Fenway Racing has announced that veteran crew chief Jimmy Fennig will lead Carl Edwards and the #99 Roush Fenway Sprint Cup team in its championship run in 2013. In addition, up and coming crew chief Scott Graves will lead the #17 team and defending Nationwide Series Champion Ricky Stenhouse Jr. during his rookie campaign next season. "We are excited about this change on both fronts," said team owner Jack Roush. "Pairing two highly successful veterans like Carl and Jimmy should be quite a matchup and it is our expectation based on what Jimmy has been able to accomplish with many high profile drivers, that it will provide the spark to get the #99 program and Carl back into championship form. However, we are particularly excited about teaming up Scott Graves and Ricky. Through his extensive research and development work, Scott has an excellent understanding of the new 2013 body style. In his short time as a crew chief he has demonstrated a cunning knack as a leader on the pit box and he is going to be a great match for Ricky as he makes his move upwards into the Sprint Cup ranks."(Roush Fenway Racing)(11-15-2012)

Edwards Reaches a Milestone at Phoenix with 300th Cup Start: #99-Carl Edwards will reach a career milestone on Sunday at Phoenix International Raceway making his 300th start (80th driver to do so) in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Throughout his 299 starts to date he has achieved 19 wins, 92 top fives, 157 top-10 finishes and 11 poles. "My first start on pavement was at Phoenix in 2001 so it's neat to be starting my 300th Sprint Cup Series start there," Edwards said. "I cannot thank Jack Roush, everyone at Ford and all the people who believed in me enough, and gave me this opportunity to run all these races. I've learned a lot and hopefully the next 300 races include a bunch of wins and championships. That's our mission right now. This is a milestone and a reminder of how far we've come, how much we've learned and how much we've got to look forward to in the future." Edwards' first Cup start came at Michigan on August 22, 2004. He was able to claim his first top-10 finish in his first start, finishing 10th in the No. 99 Ford. "Greg Biffle won the race and all five of Jack Roush's Fords finished in the top 10," Edwards said. "I finished 10th and it was a great day. I can't tell you how neat that was. That race was 400 miles long and it could have been 4,000 miles long and I wouldn't have cared. I was so pumped to be driving one of Jack's Cup cars." Only seven months later he broke into the win column at Atlanta Motor Speedway to mark the first of his 19 Sprint Cup wins. He only led nine laps in that race, but he led the most important one which was the final lap. This weekend at Phoenix Edwards will aim to make it a double-milestone weekend with his 300th start and 20th Sprint Cup win.(RFR)(11-8-2012)

600th NASCAR start for Edwards: #99-Carl Edwards will make his 600th NASCAR national series start this weekend, becoming the 40th driver to reach that milestone. The starts breakdown: 294 in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, 245 in the NASCAR Nationwide Series and 60 in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.(NASCAR)(10-3-2012)

Sponsors returning to #17 team in 2013: UPDATE: Roush Fenway Racing confirmed that 2011 Nationwide Series champion Ricky Stenhouse Jr., will pilot its historic #17 Ford Fusion next season in the Sprint Cup Series. One of the emerging talents in NASCAR, Stenhouse steps into a championship-caliber program in the # 17, with current team partners Best Buy, Fifth Third Bank and Zest each returning to the team as primary sponsors in 2013. "I can't think of a better fit for Ricky than the #17 team," added Jack Roush. "Ricky will have the luxury of being flanked by a championship-level team from the start. His drive, determination and commitment to winning will mesh very well with the demeanor of the #17 team. It will be our job to put him in the best equipment possible, as well as to guide him through the learning curves that are part of his rookie season. Best Buy, Fifth Third Bank and Zest each joined Roush Fenway's #17 team as primary partners in 2012. These three partners will return to the #17 again next year, with each increasing their commitment in 2013 for Stenhouse's entry into Sprint Cup competition. With their involvement, the majority of Stenhouse's races for 2013 are fully sponsored.(Roush Fenway)(9-14-2012)
UPDATE: Roush Fenway announced that Best Buy, Fifth Third Bank and Zest will increase their sponsorship roles with the organization in 2013. Best Buy will be on Stenhouse's car for 12 races and #99-Carl Edwards' car for four, an increase of three races. Team president Steve Newmark said the #17 is 70 percent sponsored for next year, calling it a good sign since this time a year ago there was 100 percent availability for 2012 with Kenseth. Newmark said RFR's goal is to return to four cars in 2014. The organization shrank to three teams this season due to lack of sponsorship for the #6 car.(ESPN)(9-15-2012)

Roush says Penske will use Roush-Yates engines: UPDATES: Jack Roush says Penske has decided to run Roush-Yates Ford engines next season. Penske has said he will not be shutting down the 80-man operation he currently has, but it would seem unlikely that Ford would care for one of its star new players to also continue building Dodge engines on the side. A possible sale of that engine shop to Dodge itself has been speculated as the only logical solution.
Roush: "Roger and I will cooperate on things that are in our common interests, and we will compete on things that reflect our need to be independent and justify our space on the race track. We've done the bulk of the work on the 2013 car; we did invite them to have a look at what we've done in concert with Ford, and made sure we had their blessing, along with the other Ford teams involved. The indication are -- though I don't know if the papers have been signed yet -- that he will use our engines. He does have a few things he does different with his cars and the way the engines are mounted; so we'll respect his experience and his package preference. Whether we wind up with the same package for all Ford cars or not is yet to be determined."
Roush, asked about the possibility of Penske becoming a business partner with Roush and Doug Yates in the engine operations, said "There is no plan on the table for Roger for any ownership in the engine program. But I stop short of saying that would never be a consideration going forward."(MikeMulhern.net)(8-4-2012)
UPDATE: Roush Yates Engines announced that it will provide Ford FR9 engines to Penske Racing beginning with the 2013 NASCAR season. Penske Racing announced earlier this year that it would be returning to Ford Racing in 2013 in the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series. "It's truly an honor to provide Penske Racing with Roush Yates Ford engines," said Doug Yates, CEO of Roush Yates. "I have always admired Roger Penske as a team owner and a respected businessman in our sport and beyond. I am looking forward to many wins, championships, and other successes in supporting the Penske organization." Penske Racing fielded Ford entries from 1991 through 2002. "Ford has been consistent in its belief that we will be stronger with one engine specification rather than continuing with an independent approach," said Tim Cindric, President of Penske Racing. "Roush Yates has a proven record and we are looking forward to many successes together."(Roush Yates)(8-6-2012)
UPDATE 2: Penske Racing will switch to Roush Yates horsepower in its 2013 move to Ford in the Sprint Cup Series, but the team still is exploring ways to keep its 63 engine employees. Penske President Tim Cindric told USA Today Sports that still building motors for Dodge teams in NASCAR's premier series wouldn't be an option, though. "Relative to us, they said they're going in a different direction," Cindric said. "We don't see there being any more potential on the NASCAR side with Dodge." Cindric said Penske has explored sending some of its engine staff to Roush Yates, reassigning others within Penske Racing and perhaps pursuing engine projects in other series with the rest of the employees in a scaled-down engine room. "We feel our biggest asset wasn't the (horsepower) but the people," Cindric said. "That's a strong group of people we didn't want to break up."(USA Today)(8-7-2012)

Edwards joins First Lady in Let's Move initiative in Iowa: Michelle Obama challenged Iowa children Thursday to think of new ways to get their friends involved in fitness and health. Obama sited programs at several Iowa schools that are working to get kids fit, including a West Des Moines school that has used technology to track its 33,000 miles of walking. She then helped lead a dance that included the entire audience to get moving. Thousands of students, several well-known athletes and a number of politicians joined Obama for the event at Wells Fargo Arena Thursday. Besides the first lady, participants at the event include Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, gymnast Shawn Johnson, figure skater Michelle Kwan, NASCAR's #99-Carl Edwards, health and fitness expert Bob Harper and ISU basketball head coach Fred Hoiberg. About 10,000 children, grades 6 to 9, were bused to the event from 45 schools in the Des Moines area.(see a video at kcci.com)(2-9-2012)

Roush plans to expand back to a four-car team: Team owner Jack Roush said despite the "economic pressures" that forced his organization to shrink from four to three Cup teams this season, he is looking to expand back to a quartet when possible. "The plan is to go back to that four-car stable ... yes," Roush said. "In the meantime, we've been able to reposition personnel and resources within the organization because of the downsizing that I think will make us very strong." Roush also confirmed that his team will run Ricky Stenhouse Jr. for the full Nationwide Series schedule this season and is still working on sponsorship to run Trevor Bayne for a complete campaign.(Motor Racing Network)(1-25-2012)