“He has fought and clawed his way up the ladder”: When Jack Roush heaped praise on his ‘admired’ driver who became his new partner

Jack Roush entered NASCAR with his venture Roush Racing, across Cup, Xfinity, and the Truck Series. Through the years, the operations continued to downsize and in 2007, Roush reduced his stake by letting Red Sox's majority shareholder John Henry buy some. Their union resulted in the rebranding of the name to Roush Fenway Racing.

The Concord, North Carolina-based outfit has raked in eight driver championships and 324 wins across all formats. Kurt Busch and Matt Kenseth are the only drivers thus far who have earned a Cup Series title for the organization.

In July 2021, it was announced that Brad Keselowski would partner with Jack Roush for a driver-ownership role in the team, replacing Ryan Newman in the #6 Ford, and rebranding the name to RFK Racing (Roush Fenway Keselowski). The 2012 Cup Series champion previously raced for Team Penske and the organization announced on July 15 that they'll replace Keselowski with Austin Cindric in the #2 Ford.

During the media availability, Jack Roush praised Keselowski as the driver who has clawed his way to the top and can rejuvenate his Cup Series camp.

"I think it will bring a lot to the organization, from not only Brad’s ability behind the wheel but a rejuvenation and fresh perspective across our teams. I’ve had the opportunity to watch Brad for a number of years, as he has fought and clawed his way up the ladder, molding himself into a champion and one of the top drivers in our sport. I’ve always admired his resolve and determination," Roush said, via NASCAR.

Notably, when Keselowski inked a deal with Roush, he already had a championship and 35 wins, from which he claimed 34 with Team Penske.

RFK Racing recently made a big silly season move as Brad Keselowski and Jack Roush brought a $42B worth of sponsor on onboard

Jack Roush's venture removed Truck Series racing from their roster at the end of the 2009 season and almost a decade later, closed its Xfinity Series operations as well. As of now, the team fields only two Cup Series cars but will expand to a third car in 2025.

In addition to Brad Keselowski and Chris Buescher, RFK Racing recently tapped SHR's former driver Ryan Preece, who will field the #60 Ford full-time. With that, the team also brought on board supermarket magnate Kroger, which boasts a market capitalization of $42B (as per Forbes).

Kroger was a long-time sponsor of JTG Daugherty Racing (now HYAK Motorsports) and most recently backed Ricky Stenhouse Jr.'s #47 Chevy. However, they will now look after all three cars of Jack Roush's co-owned outfit.

But Kroger's arrival seemingly upset RFK's existing sponsor King's Hawaiian, who majorly sponsored Keselowski's campaign. It is reported that King's will not support the team moving forward.