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Sprint Cup
CUP: Reiser Working To Keep RFR Near Top
Formerly a crew chief, Robbie Reiser is the man in the middle as Roush Fenway plans for a new season…
(L-R) Jack Roush, owner of Roush Fenway Racing, Robbie Reiser, general manager, Trevor Bayne, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Greg Biffle pose for a photo during the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Media Tour hosted by Charlotte Motor Speedway. (Photo: Getty Images
It doesn’t seem that long ago that Robbie Reiser was roaming NASCAR pit roads with his Wisconsin cohort, Matt Kenseth, and fretting over each tiny change as he pursued wins and championships with Jack Roush’s No. 17 cars.
And he and Kenseth reached the ultimate in 2003 as they won the last Cup championship determined under the pre-Chase system.
At the end of the 2007 season, Reiser was promoted to general manager by Roush and given responsibility and oversight for all of the organization’s Cup teams. It was a dramatic change for Reiser, who admits that he had problems making the switch.
“What happens is when you come out of the old job and come into the new job, things are so new that it takes you a while to adapt,” Reiser said. “I think for the first three years, it took me a while to adapt. It wasn’t comfortable for me. I’m starting to get a little more comfortable in my skin now and understand what my job is.”
Reiser continues in that position, and his tasks this year involve re-energizing the Greg Biffle team and keeping Carl Edwards and Kenseth in Chase form with Roush Fenway’s other Cup entries. And, although he’s juggling balls in the air to keep the overall operation fluid and efficient, Reiser said he still tinkers.
“I still like to go work on the cars,” he said. “I still like to get involved in what we’re doing. I still stick my nose in just about everything we do.
“I miss the competition. The fighter always wants to be in the fight. I miss the fight from standing on the sidelines. From being a player to a head coach, it’s a different feeling. It’s taken me a while to adapt to that and understand it.
“But I’m good with it now. I understand it a lot more. I can help the guys from a different experience level. I see the racing a lot different than I used to. I used to be focused on just the 17. Now I see it from all different angles and a lot of different perspectives.”
There were significant changes at RFR over the off-season as the organization contracted from four Cup teams to three, giving Reiser and Roush a bigger pool of people from which to choose as they sought to make each team better.
There was a concentration on Biffle’s No. 16 team, which had only three top fives and finished 16th in points last year.
“I think the 16 will be better, first of all, from a leadership standpoint with Matt Puccia (crew chief) and Greg having worked together (half of last season),” Reiser said. “Their over-the-wall bunch got a tuneup as we bought in some younger guys. That will bring some spirit back to the team.”
Although Edwards challenged for the championship until the season’s final laps and Kenseth had a title shot until the closing weeks, Reiser said their teams were examined, also.
“When the 99’s season was over, we still saw some things we could do better,” he said. “Going into the season, we have a couple of changes on that team, but the major portion of it hasn’t been touched. It’s the same way with the 17 – one over-the-wall change. But we did have to make a couple of changes to make things stronger.”
Mike Hembree is NASCAR Editor for SPEED.com and has been covering motorsports for 30 years. He is a six-time winner of the National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year Award.
And he and Kenseth reached the ultimate in 2003 as they won the last Cup championship determined under the pre-Chase system.
At the end of the 2007 season, Reiser was promoted to general manager by Roush and given responsibility and oversight for all of the organization’s Cup teams. It was a dramatic change for Reiser, who admits that he had problems making the switch.
“What happens is when you come out of the old job and come into the new job, things are so new that it takes you a while to adapt,” Reiser said. “I think for the first three years, it took me a while to adapt. It wasn’t comfortable for me. I’m starting to get a little more comfortable in my skin now and understand what my job is.”
Reiser continues in that position, and his tasks this year involve re-energizing the Greg Biffle team and keeping Carl Edwards and Kenseth in Chase form with Roush Fenway’s other Cup entries. And, although he’s juggling balls in the air to keep the overall operation fluid and efficient, Reiser said he still tinkers.
“I still like to go work on the cars,” he said. “I still like to get involved in what we’re doing. I still stick my nose in just about everything we do.
“I miss the competition. The fighter always wants to be in the fight. I miss the fight from standing on the sidelines. From being a player to a head coach, it’s a different feeling. It’s taken me a while to adapt to that and understand it.
“But I’m good with it now. I understand it a lot more. I can help the guys from a different experience level. I see the racing a lot different than I used to. I used to be focused on just the 17. Now I see it from all different angles and a lot of different perspectives.”
There were significant changes at RFR over the off-season as the organization contracted from four Cup teams to three, giving Reiser and Roush a bigger pool of people from which to choose as they sought to make each team better.
There was a concentration on Biffle’s No. 16 team, which had only three top fives and finished 16th in points last year.
“I think the 16 will be better, first of all, from a leadership standpoint with Matt Puccia (crew chief) and Greg having worked together (half of last season),” Reiser said. “Their over-the-wall bunch got a tuneup as we bought in some younger guys. That will bring some spirit back to the team.”
Although Edwards challenged for the championship until the season’s final laps and Kenseth had a title shot until the closing weeks, Reiser said their teams were examined, also.
“When the 99’s season was over, we still saw some things we could do better,” he said. “Going into the season, we have a couple of changes on that team, but the major portion of it hasn’t been touched. It’s the same way with the 17 – one over-the-wall change. But we did have to make a couple of changes to make things stronger.”
Mike Hembree is NASCAR Editor for SPEED.com and has been covering motorsports for 30 years. He is a six-time winner of the National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year Award.
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