Roush grew up in Manchester, Ohio. He earned a mathematics degree with a physics minor from Berea College in 1964 and moved to Detroit to work for Ford Motor Company that same year. He went on to earn a master's degree in scientific mathematics from Eastern Michigan University in 1970. While at Ford, Roush was drawn to the company's motorsports activities and joined a group of racing enthusiasts called “The Fastbacks” in 1966. After leaving Ford, he partnered with Wayne Gapp in 1970 in a racing venture that saw them win events and championships in NHRA, IHRA, and AHRA with their Pro Stock race cars. In 1976, Roush formed Jack Roush Performance Engineering. He stopped operating a drag team in the late 1970s, but his company continued building engines for other teams into the early 1980s. Following a Ford-backed partnership with German firm Zakspeed, Roush launched his first SCCA Trans-Am team in 1984 and entered IMSA the following season. Over the next decade, Roush-owned cars would dominate both series, helping Ford earn 12 Manufacturer’s Titles and 12 Roush Racing drivers won drivers’ championships. His team notched its first Daytona 24 hour GTO Class win in 1985. In subsequent years, Roush-built cars earned 10 class wins in IMSA’s sedan classes.
In 1988, Jack Roush decided to move his racing operations south and foray into NASCAR. He launched his first NASCAR Cup Series team with driver Mark Martin. In October 1989, Roush and Martin claimed their first NASCAR Cup Series victory. As of 2025, 63 different drivers have driven for his NASCAR teams. Roush's teams have captured multiple championships in all three of NASCAR’s major series, taking home over 300 checkered flags. He has more than 500 wins across all the series he has raced in, including NASCAR, ARCA, SCCA Trans-Am, IMSA, Grand-Am, NHRA, IHRA, AHRA, NMRA, and NMCA events. In 2003, Jack Roush joined forces with Robert Yates to form Roush Yates Engines, which is the exclusive NASCAR engine builder for Ford Performance. In 2007, Roush Racing and Fenway Sports Group announced the formation of Roush Fenway Racing. In 2021, Brad Keselowski joined the team as part-owner and driver, leading to the rebranding of the organization to Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing (RFK Racing).
Roush's teams have won eight championships: two Cup titles (2003 with Matt Kenseth and 2004 with Kurt Busch), five Xfinity Series championships, and one Craftsman Truck Series title in 2000 with Greg Biffle. The team also won the Daytona 500 twice, both times with Kenseth in 2009 and 2012. Other achievements include a NASCAR Camping Work Truck Series Champion with Greg Biffle in 2000, NASCAR Nationwide Series Champion with Greg Biffle in 2002, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion with Matt Kenseth in 2003, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion with Kurt Busch in 2004, and placing 5 cars into the NASCAR Sprint Cup Chase in 2005. He also secured NASCAR Nationwide Series Championships with Carl Edwards in 2007 and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. in 2011 and 2012, and a NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship with Chris Buescher in 2015. Roush achieved his 100th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win with Carl Edwards in 2007, his 100th NASCAR Nationwide Series win with Greg Biffle in 2009, and his 50th NASCAR Truck Series win with Colin Braun in 2009. In 2010, his team turned its 1,000,000th mile in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The team also won the NASCAR Nationwide Series Owner’s Championship in 2011. Roush's 300th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win was with Matt Kenseth at the Daytona 500 in 2012.
Jack Roush was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2019 as part of the 2019 class. He was also inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in 2017. Additional honours include the North Carolina Motorsports Association Achievement in Motorsports Tribute Award in 2018, the Phil Hill Award by the Road Racing Drivers Club in 2020, and the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2022. He is also slated for induction into the Trans-Am Series Hall of Fame in 2025.
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