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A NASCAR BLOG BY Rea White

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Jack Roush has Roush Fenway firing on all cylinders

Sep 26

Jack Roush certainly looks brilliant this week, doesn't he?

The team owner has re-signed Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle this year, two of the hottest drivers in the Chase For The Sprint Cup right now. Despite what had to be tempting offers from other arenas, the drivers were lured back into the Roush Fenway Racing fold with promises of increased performance and emphasis on staying on top.

And look what happened.

But Roush's most brilliant move, and the one that could have led to all of this, was putting Robbie Reiser into a role over all of his teams. Reiser, who won the 2003 NASCAR Cup championship with Matt Kenseth, gave up his crew-chief days to move into a general manager slot at the organization.

Both Edwards and Biffle cited his influence when they announced plans to return to the organization and have listed Reiser among the key elements to their success this season.

And look what is happening.

Edwards has a pair of third-place finishes in the Chase and leads the championship-determining segment of the season. Biffle has won both Chase races and sits third, 10 points behind Edwards and in a mathematical tie with second-place Jimmie Johnson (who has the edge based on his four wins this season).

Roush Fenway Racing calmly and quietly worked their way through the opening half of the season, with only Edwards and his six wins drawing attention. And even that fell shy of the excitement surrounding Joe Gibbs Racing and Kyle Busch.

Certainly the Chase is far from over, and it's much too early to be crowning anyone a champion yet. But the fact is that whether he hoists the trophy or not, Jack Roush has made some championship-style maneuvers this season - moves that will pay off for years to come.