How the 'Cat in the Hat' Took Not-So-Straight Line to NASCAR Hall of Fame

• In 1971, Jack Roush partnered with Wayne Gapp to compete in major-league drag racing, even winning a Pro Stock title in the National Hot Rod Association.

• In 1984, Roush jumped into road racing. He was a quick success in both Sports Car Club of America and International Motor Sports Association series, scoring with drivers Tommy Kendall, Scott Pruett and Willy T. Ribbs.

• Roush’s next move was into NASCAR.

Jack Roush’s success in NASCAR circles began in a straight line – drag racing.

After graduation from Berea College in 1964, Roush went to work for Ford Motor Company and soon joined a group of fellow racing enthusiasts called the “Fastbacks,” giving him the opportunity to drive Galaxies and Fairlanes in drag racing competition. In 1971, he partnered with Wayne Gapp to compete in major-league drag racing, winning Pro Stock titles in the National Hot Rod Association, the International Hot Rod Association and the American Hot Rod Association.

Roush’s entry into motorsports competition almost ended soon after it began. He flipped a Pro Stock Ford Pinto in a drag race at St. Louis, suffering a concussion and other injuries. Because the regular rooms in the area hospital were full, Roush was placed in the psychiatric ward. “When my father came to see me, they had to unlock two doors to get him to me,” Roush said.

In 1984, having established himself in business with the formation of Jack Roush Performance Engineering, Roush jumped into road racing. He was a quick success in both Sports Car Club of America and International Motor Sports Association series, scoring with drivers Tommy Kendall, Scott Pruett and Willy T. Ribbs.

Roush’s next move was into NASCAR. He had no experience in top-level stock car racing, but it was a natural move for a man who knew the insides of engines and how to put the right people in the right places for team success. His first choice of drivers was telling. Roush picked Mark Martin, a Midwestern short-track king who had tried NASCAR once and failed. Roush saw the determination and potential in the diminutive driver, and they were off and running.

Martin won in a Roush Ford for the first time at North Carolina Motor Speedway in Rockingham in 1989, and the foundation had been established for one of the great partnerships in the history of stock car racing. Martin and Roush teamed for 35 NASCAR Cup Series wins and were in the hunt for numerous Cup championships.

The Roush-Martin relationship began with a two-hour interview at a Holiday Inn in Greensboro, N.C. The two discussed virtually everything about stock car racing except the one thing that might have been most important for many drivers—the pay. Roush later said Martin’s big interests related to the quality and number of race cars and team members. The fact that his check amount never came up sealed the deal from Roush’s perspective.

Roush’s NASCAR operation grew and flourished as he brought on such drivers are Greg Biffle, Jeff Burton, Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth and Kurt Busch. He won the Cup championship in 2003 with Kenseth and 2004 with Busch.

In 2022, Roush teamed with driver Brad Keselowski, and the Cup operation became RFK Racing.

Roush was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2019.