Michael Knight

Special for azcentral sports

Jack Roush, one of NASCAR's most successful owners and a pioneer in bringing engineering technology into the sport with his multi-car Ford teams, has used the "R" word.

Retire.

"I expected to have better years than (winless) 2016 and 2015," Roush said to azcentral sports in advance of Sunday's Camping World 500 at Phoenix International Raceway. "Had I realized I had those years in front of me, I might have decided to side-step, and retire.

"I'm 74. I can't do what I'm doing today for another 10 years. My window is, the longest I've been able to predict what I was going to do in life, has been five years. I'm probably down to a three-year window. I'm looking at how I can be useful."

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Roush, whose partner is Boston Red Sox principal owner John Henry, has 135 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victories since he began with Mark Martin in 1988. Matt Kenseth, Kurt Busch, Carl Edwards, Greg Biffle and Jeff Burton are some of the other drivers he's brought into Cup. Edwards' two wins in 2014 are Roush's most recent.

His drivers combined for only 11 top-5 finishes the past two years. Once a five-car powerhouse, Roush is down to two teams, the No. 6 AdvoCare Ford for Trevor Bayne and the No. 17 Fastenal Fusion for Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Their best thus far was Bayne's 10th in the Daytona 500. In the second-tier Xfinity Series, Ryan Reed won the Daytona season-opener for the second time in three years in the No. 16 Lilly Diabetes Mustang.

Two years ago, Roush reorganized his team, investing more in technology and people he thought knew how to use it to go fast. Now?

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"We've restructured our management group to be able to operate with greater independence from me," said the graduate-level mathematician who employs 6,000 people at a Michigan engineering company. "And without as much of the inspiration for what we do as, maybe, I've been in the past.

"The race team, with the partnership we've got with John Henry and the Fenway Sports Group, has got plenty of depth. As long as . . . we're able to make a viable business out of it, I'm sure the people that will follow me and will manage the affairs after my passing, they will look favorably on the involvement."

Speed zones

The issue of pit-road speeding penalties came alive with about a dozen such violations two weeks ago at Atlanta Motor Speedway when more timing lines were added.

But drivers won't face anything new at PIR. NASCAR doubled the number of lines, to 20 (making 18 sections), before last November's race. Electronic officiating calculates speed per section as time over distance, about 105 feet. The PIR pit-road speed limit is 45 mph.

Solar stories

Saturday's DC Solar 200 is one of four Dash 4 Cash races this season. A $100,000 bonus will go to the highest finisher among four full-time Xfinity drivers. Eligibility will be determined by the two top-running Xfinity regulars in the event's first two stages.

Daniel Suarez, who became the first Latino driver to win a NASCAR national championship in Xfinity last year, is entered but isn't defending his title. He's a Cup Series rookie, having replaced the retired Carl Edwards in Joe Gibbs Racing's No. 19 ARRIS Toyota.

Ryan Blaney will drive the Roger Penske-owned No. 22 Ford Mustang sponsored by Scottsdale-based Discount Tire. Blaney, Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano share the No. 22 driving duties during the season.

Pit stops

• There are only 39 entries for Sunday's scheduled 40-car starting field.

• Michael McDowell (9 a.m.), Kevin Harvick (9:30) and Jimmie Johnson (9:45) are scheduled to appear at the Budweiser Roll-Bar Sunday. Richard Petty (9:15) will be at the DC Solar Power Pavilion.

• Ford is off to a hot start, with two wins in three races in both Cup and the Xfinity Series.

NASCAR week at PIR

What: NASCAR Monster Energy Cup, Xfinity series races

When: March 17-19

Where: Phoenix International Raceway

Tickets, information: phoenixraceway.com

NASCAR Week at PIR schedule

March 17 (gates open 10 a.m.)

Xfinity practice, 10 a.m. (TV: FS1)

Monster Energy Cup practice, 11 a.m.

Xfinity practice, 1 p.m.

Monster Energy Cup practice, 11 a.m. (TV: FS1)

Monster Energy Cup qualifying, 4:45 p.m. (TV: FS1)

March 18 (gates open 9 a.m.)

Monster Energy Cup practice, 9 a.m. (TV: FS2)

Xfinity qualifying, 10:05 a.m. (TV: FS2)

Monster Energy Cup practice, 11:30 a.m. (TV: FS2)

Xfinity race: DC Solar 200, 1 p.m. (TV: FS1)

March 19 (gates open 8 a.m.)

Monster Energy Cup race: Camping World 500, 12:30 p.m. (Channel 10)