Roush looks to build on last season's success

It couldn't have gotten much better for Roush Racing last year.

Mark Martin finished second in the Winston Cup points standings and won one race.

	Matt Kenseth's No. 17 Ford. Credit: Autostock

Kurt Busch finished third in the points and won four races.

Matt Kenseth finished eighth and won a series-leading five races.

Jeff Burton didn't win a race, but he did finish 12th in the points.

That's four guys in the top 12 and 10 victories. What does Roush Racing do for an encore?

"I feel realistic about last year in terms of saying it was probably better than we deserved given what we came off of," team owner Jack Roush said. "But we've looked at the 15 years behind us and tried to accentuate all the positives and remember all the things that went wrong and the strategies that were flawed and be sure we stay cognizant of those things -- and then make our plans to go forward."

Mark Martin See Mark Martin's video highlights Play video

Roush, of course, is trying to keep 2002 in perspective and perhaps trying to keep expectations for 2003 in check. Remember, only last year many wondered about the future of Roush Racing.

Remember how bad the team was in 2001? Burton was the best, and he was only 10th in the points. Martin was 12th, Kenseth 13th and Busch 27th. What a difference a year makes, indeed.

Jeff Burton See Jeff Burton's video highlights Play video

Already, many are talking about Roush finally getting the Winston Cup championship. Busch won three of the final five races of 2002 and has positioned himself as a leading contender this year.

"If he's not the strong horse," Roush said, "he's certainly up there with the others."

Busch returns with crew chief Jimmy Fennig, a youngster/veteran combination that worked wonders for the talented but somewhat volatile Busch. Busch's maturation continues, and as he gets more experienced, he becomes a bigger threat to win races.

Matt Kenseth See Matt Kenseth's video highlights Play video

One change Busch team has to overcome is the loss of car chief Shawn Parker, who went to Robert Yates Racing. Parker will be replaced by Mike Kelly, who came from Evernham Motorsports.

Kenseth and Martin also return with their crew chiefs from a year ago, Robbie Reiser and Ben Leslie, respectively. Kenseth won more races than anybody in 2002 but also finished 30th or worse 11 times. Consistency will be a key issue if Kenseth wants to challenge for a title. Kenseth and Reiser will also have to replace two tire changers from their world championship pit crew.

Martin was as consistent as anyone last year, but winning one race is no way to win a championship.

Kurt Busch See Kurt Busch's video highlights Play video

Then there's Burton. He won 15 races in a four-year span where he finished fifth or better in the points all four years. The last two seasons, however, have not been kind to Burton.

So Roush made a crew chief switch, replacing Frank Stoddard with Paul Andrews toward the end of last year. Burton said the change was needed and has invigorated the team.

"He's done a really nice job," Burton said. "We've built a lot of new cars. Everything we have is new this year. We really worked hard on changing some stuff and making it better. The whole emphasis is speed."

Greg Biffle See Greg Biffle's video highlights Play video

Ah, but there's more. Roush Racing adds another team to the fold, as defending Busch Series champion Greg Biffle moves to Winston Cup for 2003. Biffle joins a solid group of first-year drivers, including Ganassi Racing teammates Jamie McMurray and Casey Mears.

Biffle's team will be paired with Burton and Martin, while Busch and Kenseth will remain together.

Roush wasn't sure which one of his teams would "reign supreme" in 2003.

"It's awful hard for me not to pick Kurt," Roush said. "It's awful hard for me not to pick Matt. It's awful hard for me not to pick Mark, and it's awful hard for me not to pick Jeff. I look at them, and I can start with either one, and it's not wrong."