Slamming the door on Roush-Fenway's 2010
We're almost done with 2010, so as we close out the year, we look back one last time at the big teams to see where they went right, where they went wrong, and what their prospects might be for 2011. We continue with a team for whom the season ended too soon.
By the numbers: Four wins, 24 top 5s, 56 top 10s, three poles.
The recap: The Roush year was dominated by the fact that Jack Roush lost his left eye in a plane accident. In happier news, Greg Biffle won almost immediately afterward, and Carl Edwards was the hottest driver in the sport for much of the second half of the season. (He also perpetuated his feud with Brad Keselowski, which didn't go over so well with most of NASCAR nation.) Matt Kenseth quietly -- of course -- posted another strong season, once again reliably making the Chase. And David Ragan? Well, he didn't hurt himself or anybody else, so there's that.
The outlook: It's feast or famine for the Roush guys. If they can figure out their various engineering tics, Edwards and Biffle have the potential to be among the elites of the sport, and Kenseth is always a threat to run in the top 5. Ragan? Well, let's just say that he'll be linked with Jamie McMurray -- the guy whom Roush cut to keep Ragan -- for the rest of his days. If Edwards can continue the momentum with which he closed his year, he'll be a legit championship contender in '11. And Roush will again be a team to watch.
Previously: Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, Stewart-Haas Racing, Richard Childress Racing
