Roush Fenway rebounding with two car effort

People still want to measure Trevor Bayne and Ricky Stenhouse to the likes of the past drivers that departed Roush Fenway Racing since 2013.  There just isn't a proper measuring cup for this right now and the fans that do it need to realize something right now, Bayne and Stenhouse do not have the same equipment that Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle had from previous seasons.

There was a lot of changes that were implemented into the organization this past year to help put a spring in the step at Roush Fenway Racing.  The one major change was the team going to two-cars from being a three car for so long.  Greg Biffle and Roush mutually agreed that it was time for the split to happen.  Bayne and Stenhouse entered the organization within a year of one another in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and their driving styles were very comparable against one another.

Trevor Bayne talks with car owner Jack Roush

"Going into the season, what we hadn't done in the past is really give people individual goals," said Bayne on Race Day last Sunday.  "Have things that you set out to do.  Whether it is the aero department, engineering, design team, drivers, pit crews; instead of looking at a result and saying 'man we need to finish top-15 and just going out finishing top-15, we say what are the little things we can do every week to add up to top-15 finishes."

Stenhouse has seen the changes from a three car team to a two-car team as a way to get the cars faster and make changes quicker.

"One of the things that I have seen going down to two from three (cars) last year, we're able to get things implemented into our cars a lot faster," said Stenhouse.  "They're at the wind tunnel every week and they're taking what they learn and getting it into those two cars pretty quick.  A lot of focus is on both cars and that's really been showing every time we go to the race track."

Bayne's crew chief Matt Puccia brought a valid point as well.  The two young drivers have very similar driving styles so it makes it easier on the crews.

"Fortunately for us, Trevor and Ricky have similar driving characteristics and that's been really good for the two of them to work together on a weekly basis so those guys are really able feed off each other and help each other because their driving characteristics are so similar."

The two drivers go into this weekend's race at Talladega Superspeedway both inside the Playoff Grid

Bayne and Stenhouse have worked together as teammates
since August 2010 in the Xfinity Series.

with Bayne sitting in 14th and Stenhouse in 15th.  The two drivers have made steadily improvements this season and while Stenhouse has more top-ten finishes, Bayne remains the more consistent one finishing in the top-15 consistently.

 "Well Ricky and I came in as Xfinity drivers for Jack and they always told us well you guys are the
future of the company," said Bayne.  "But I don't think we ever saw the day coming where we would be the only two cup drivers at Roush Fenway Racing leading the way.  So for us to be here now it is really cool to have watched us grow up, progress in our careers, and pushing each other and we're kinda all out.  I don't have things that I learned at a race track that I hold back from Ricky."

 That in the past was one of the biggest issues that sparred at Roush Fenway Racing.  There was more of a rivalry within the organization than a chemistry among the race teams.  Now the teams are working together to find speed and sharing what they find in their race cars.