Newmark: Objective is to stay two cars in 2018

Stenhouse and Bayne will remain the two-car duo at RFR

Roush Fenway Racing President Steve Newmark stated on Tradin' Paint on Tuesday afternoon that the intent was for the organization to remain a two-car Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series team in 2018 and remain with one NASCAR Xfinity Series program as well. 


The team began this season with two cars in each series but last month but with the lack of sponsorship on Darrell Wallace's No. 6 car, the team was forced to shut down the cars program after Pocono.  There are many who believe that owner Jack Roush should have kept Wallace's program floating with his own funding, however, with the sponsorship issues on the Cup Series side as well it wasn't possible.

"I think our objective right ow and plan is to stay two (cup) and one (Xfinity)," Steve Newmark said on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.  "On the Cup side, that's clearly our direction.  I think even if sponsor came for the third team, I think right now we feel this process has worked." 

"We made a very painful decision to cup down to two this year, and we had the option to stay at three but decided that the most important thing is to put our cars in the best position to win.  To do that, we thought that it was best to consolidate to two teams but maintain the same size engineering staff and R&D and laser focus that on the two cars." 

This season Ricky Stenhouse has found victory lane twice (both on restrictor plate events) and the organization as a whole has turned the corner with their program.  It would be hard for them to add a third car for 2018 so quickly, as Newmark stated even with the aid of sponsorship on the table.  That leaves Chris Buescher out in the wind once again.  He will likely be staying at JTG Daugherty for next season.

"Chris has done a great job.  We fortunate that he and Tad (Geschickter, owner of JTG Daugherty) have struck up a great relationship and he's getting some great experience there."

 There is an option on the table if Roush doesn't want to sell it's charter for the No. 16.  They can lease the charter from the 6 or 17 cars out to JTGD for another year to keep Buescher going as well.