Bob Osbourne
Encyclopedia
Bob Osborne is the current NASCAR
Sprint Cup Series crew chief
for the No. 99 Aflac
/Scotts
Ford Fusion driven by Carl Edwards
. He is currently employed at Roush Fenway Racing. He has been a crew chief in NASCAR for 8 years. [1
project, Osborne became friends with the gentleman who ran the shop where Osborne's project car was being built. Carson Baird is a retired IMSA driver and crew chief that spent time talking to Osborne about racing and told Osborne that if he had to do it over again, he would get involved with NASCAR as the racing was much more interesting. Osborne took that advice to heart and from there made the decision to get started in NASCAR.
For six months after he graduated, Osborne spent day and night knocking on doors trying to land a job with a NASCAR team. Finally in January of 1998, Osborne was given the opportunity to work for the No. 96 Sprint Cup team as the tire specialist. Osborne worked for the team for one year, never relying on his engineering degree but knowing that his time and patience would eventually pay off.
At the end of the 1998 season the No. 96 team closed its doors and Osborne went on to work for owner Jack Roush
, at then Roush Racing, where he's been working his way up the ladder ever since. Osborne started out as a general R&D
data acquisition engineer where he worked at the shop traveling only to tests for the first two years of his Roush Racing career. After two years, Roush Racing decided to employ an engineer with each Cup team. Osborne was assigned to the No. 6 Valvoline team driven by Mark Martin
where he spent the following two years as the team engineer traveling to each race and becoming the right-hand man to the crew chief.
In his second year with Mark Martin and the No. 6 team, Osborne also took on R&D wind tunnel projects that took him across the Atlantic Ocean
to Germany
on several occasions. During the 2003 season Osborne also assumed the title of Director of Engineering for Roush Racing which saw him manage the other Roush engineers.
All of Osborne's experience with the No. 6 team lead to him getting promoted to crew chief of the No. 99. Osborne's first race as crew chief came during the spring Darlington
race in 2004 with veteran driver Jeff Burton
. In the following 31 races, Osborne accrued two top-five and eight top-10 finishes. In August of 2004, Osborne received word that rookie
Carl Edwards would be taking over the driving duties of the No. 99 Ford
. Although both were rookies, the team never missed a beat and Osborne coached Edwards to a 10th-place finish in his first career Cup start at Michigan
. The team closed out 2004 posting one top-five and five top-10 finishes in just 13 starts.
2005
Osborne and Edwards picked up in 2005 where they left off in 2004, breaking into the win column in just the fourth race of the year in Atlanta
. The team would go on to post three more wins, taking checkered flags at Pocono
, repeating at Atlanta and winning the inaugural night race at Texas Motor Speedway
, while earning two poles and running to 13 top-five and 18 top 10 finishes. The duo also gave the competition a run for their money in the Chase finishing third in the 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series points standings.
2006
Osborne’s team entered the 2006 season as championship favorites but got off to a slow start. Ultimately the team chalked up three top-five and four top-10 finishes in nine starts together. In April, owner Jack Roush made the decision to move Osborne to the No. 26 Crown Royal
/Irwin Tools
Ford driven by Jamie McMurray
. The move was in an effort to strengthen the overall racing operations. By the second Phoenix
race in November, Osborne was back with Edwards and the No. 99 team and looking ahead to 2007.
2007
In 2007 Osborne’s No. 99 team remained inside the top 12 in point standings for 31 of 36 weeks. Led by Osborne, Edwards also broke a 52-race winless streak at Michigan International Speedway. Osborne led Edward and the No. 99 team to two more victories in 2007 at Bristol
and Dover
in the newly introduced Car of Tomorrow
.
2008
Osborne and Edwards kicked off the 2008 season by taking home the checkered flag in two of the first three races, and continued their winning ways throughout the season. The duo paired to record the most wins, top-five and top-10 finishes of all Cup drivers. Their quest for the championship came up just short, finishing just 69 points behind champion Jimmie Johnson
.
2009
In 2009, Edwards entered the season as one of the teams to beat. In a disappointment, Edwards and Osborne did not win a race for the second time in a season together making the chase but finishing 11th in points.
2010
The 2010 season wasn't much different than 2009 although the team managed to win the final two races of the year at Phoenix and Homestead-Miami
finishing the season with huge momentum and finishing 4th in the chase standings.
2011
The No. 99 team got another win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
as well as the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race XXVII
. Although having the most top 5's, top 10's, and best average finish than anyone else in 2011, the team fell short again in the championship to surging Tony Stewart
, who won five of the ten chase races that year. Although in a virtual tie in the points, Stewart owned the tie-breaker with more wins giving him the title.
At the end of the 2011 season, Carl Edwards's contract with Roush-Fenway Racing would be up leaving both Edwards's and Osborne's futures in question. On August 4, Edwards announced he had signed a multi-year deal keeping him at Roush with Osborne as his crew chief.
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
Sprint Cup Series crew chief
Crew chief
Crew chief may refer to:*Crew chief , the head person on a race team who directs both the driver and pit crew*Crew chief , Part of the Ford Work Solutions Package see Ford Sync...
for the No. 99 Aflac
Aflac
Aflac Incorporated is the largest provider of supplemental insurance in the United States, founded in 1955 and based in Columbus, Georgia. In the United States, Aflac underwrites a wide range of insurance policies, but is perhaps more known for its payroll deduction insurance coverage, which pays...
/Scotts
Scotts Miracle-Gro Company
The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company is an American multinational corporation headquartered in Marysville, Ohio.-Overview:Scotts Miracle-Gro Company manufactures branded consumer products for lawn and garden care, and also provides products for professional horticulture...
Ford Fusion driven by Carl Edwards
Carl Edwards
Carl Michael Edwards, II is a NASCAR driver. He currently drives the #99 Fastenal/Aflac Ford Fusion in the Sprint Cup Series and the #60 Ford in the Nationwide Series for Roush Fenway Racing...
. He is currently employed at Roush Fenway Racing. He has been a crew chief in NASCAR for 8 years. [1
Rise Into Racing
It wasn't until late in his junior year of college at Penn State University that Osborne got the itch to go racing. While working on a Formula SAEFormula SAE
Formula SAE is a student design competition organized by the Society of Automotive Engineers . The competition was started back in 1978 and was originally called SAE Mini Indy.-Concept:...
project, Osborne became friends with the gentleman who ran the shop where Osborne's project car was being built. Carson Baird is a retired IMSA driver and crew chief that spent time talking to Osborne about racing and told Osborne that if he had to do it over again, he would get involved with NASCAR as the racing was much more interesting. Osborne took that advice to heart and from there made the decision to get started in NASCAR.
For six months after he graduated, Osborne spent day and night knocking on doors trying to land a job with a NASCAR team. Finally in January of 1998, Osborne was given the opportunity to work for the No. 96 Sprint Cup team as the tire specialist. Osborne worked for the team for one year, never relying on his engineering degree but knowing that his time and patience would eventually pay off.
At the end of the 1998 season the No. 96 team closed its doors and Osborne went on to work for owner Jack Roush
Jack Roush
Jack Roush is the founder, CEO, and co-owner along with John Henry of Roush Fenway Racing, a NASCAR team headquartered in Concord, North Carolina, and is Chairman of the Board of Roush Enterprises....
, at then Roush Racing, where he's been working his way up the ladder ever since. Osborne started out as a general R&D
Research and development
The phrase research and development , according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, refers to "creative work undertaken on a systematic basis in order to increase the stock of knowledge, including knowledge of man, culture and society, and the use of this stock of...
data acquisition engineer where he worked at the shop traveling only to tests for the first two years of his Roush Racing career. After two years, Roush Racing decided to employ an engineer with each Cup team. Osborne was assigned to the No. 6 Valvoline team driven by Mark Martin
Mark Martin
Mark Martin may refer to:* Mark Martin , American racecar driver* Mark Martin , American cartoonist* Mark Martin , American judge* Mark Martin , British murderer...
where he spent the following two years as the team engineer traveling to each race and becoming the right-hand man to the crew chief.
In his second year with Mark Martin and the No. 6 team, Osborne also took on R&D wind tunnel projects that took him across the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
to Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
on several occasions. During the 2003 season Osborne also assumed the title of Director of Engineering for Roush Racing which saw him manage the other Roush engineers.
Crew Chief Career
2004All of Osborne's experience with the No. 6 team lead to him getting promoted to crew chief of the No. 99. Osborne's first race as crew chief came during the spring Darlington
Darlington Raceway
Darlington Raceway is a race track built for NASCAR racing located near Darlington, South Carolina. It is nicknamed the "Lady in Black" and "The Track Too Tough to Tame" by many NASCAR fans and drivers and advertised as "A NASCAR Tradition"...
race in 2004 with veteran driver Jeff Burton
Jeff Burton
Jeffrey Brian "Jeff" Burton , also referred to as JB or The Mayor, is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver who drives the #31 Caterpillar Chevrolet Impala for Richard Childress Racing. Burton is the younger brother of Ward Burton, who is a former Sprint Cup driver...
. In the following 31 races, Osborne accrued two top-five and eight top-10 finishes. In August of 2004, Osborne received word that rookie
Rookie
Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of their sport or has little or no professional experience. The term also has the more general meaning of anyone new to a profession, training or activity Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of...
Carl Edwards would be taking over the driving duties of the No. 99 Ford
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
. Although both were rookies, the team never missed a beat and Osborne coached Edwards to a 10th-place finish in his first career Cup start at Michigan
Michigan International Speedway
Michigan International Speedway is a two-mile moderate-banked D-shaped superspeedway located off U.S. Highway 12 on more than in Brooklyn, in the scenic Irish Hills area of southeastern Michigan. The track is used primarily for NASCAR events. It is sometimes known as a "sister track" to Texas...
. The team closed out 2004 posting one top-five and five top-10 finishes in just 13 starts.
2005
Osborne and Edwards picked up in 2005 where they left off in 2004, breaking into the win column in just the fourth race of the year in Atlanta
Atlanta Motor Speedway
Atlanta Motor Speedway is a track just outside Hampton, Georgia, twenty miles south of Atlanta. It is a quad-oval track with a seating capacity of over 125,000. It opened in 1960 as a standard oval. In 1994, 46 condominiums were built over the northeastern side of the track...
. The team would go on to post three more wins, taking checkered flags at Pocono
Pocono Raceway
Pocono Raceway also known as the Tricky Triangle, is a superspeedway located in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania at Long Pond...
, repeating at Atlanta and winning the inaugural night race at Texas Motor Speedway
Texas Motor Speedway
Texas Motor Speedway is a speedway located in the northernmost portion of the U.S. city of Fort Worth, Texas – the portion located in Denton County, Texas....
, while earning two poles and running to 13 top-five and 18 top 10 finishes. The duo also gave the competition a run for their money in the Chase finishing third in the 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series points standings.
2006
Osborne’s team entered the 2006 season as championship favorites but got off to a slow start. Ultimately the team chalked up three top-five and four top-10 finishes in nine starts together. In April, owner Jack Roush made the decision to move Osborne to the No. 26 Crown Royal
Crown Royal
Crown Royal is a blended Canadian whisky, 40% alcohol by volume, 80 proof. The brand is currently owned by Diageo, who purchased it when the Seagram portfolio was dissolved in the year 2000. It is the top-selling Canadian whisky in the United States....
/Irwin Tools
Irwin Industrial Tools
Irwin Industrial Tools is an American manufacturer and distributor of hand tools and power tool accessories. It is a subsidiary of Newell Rubbermaid. It is most well known for producing Vise-Grip locking pliers...
Ford driven by Jamie McMurray
Jamie McMurray
James Christopher "Jamie" McMurray is a professional American race car driver. McMurray is best known for winning the 2002 UAW-GM Quality 500 as a substitute driver in his second Winston Cup start, and is one of three drivers to win both the Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400 in the same year...
. The move was in an effort to strengthen the overall racing operations. By the second Phoenix
Phoenix International Raceway
Phoenix International Raceway, also known as PIR, is a one-mile, low-banked tri-oval race track located in Avondale, Arizona. The track opened in 1964 and currently hosts two NASCAR race weekends annually. PIR has also hosted the Indycar Series, CART, USAC and the Rolex Sports Car Series...
race in November, Osborne was back with Edwards and the No. 99 team and looking ahead to 2007.
2007
In 2007 Osborne’s No. 99 team remained inside the top 12 in point standings for 31 of 36 weeks. Led by Osborne, Edwards also broke a 52-race winless streak at Michigan International Speedway. Osborne led Edward and the No. 99 team to two more victories in 2007 at Bristol
Bristol Motor Speedway
Bristol Motor Speedway, formerly known as Bristol International Raceway and Bristol Raceway is a NASCAR short track venue located in Bristol, Tennessee. Constructed in 1960, it held its first NASCAR race on July 30, 1961...
and Dover
Dover International Speedway
Dover International Speedway is a NASCAR-sanctioned race track located in Dover, Delaware, owned by, and serving as the corporate headquarters of, Dover Motorsports, Inc. It is co-located with a harness racing track, Dover Downs, and shares the complex with Dover Downs Hotel & Casino...
in the newly introduced Car of Tomorrow
Car of Tomorrow
The Car of Tomorrow, sometimes called CoT or "Car of Today", is the car style for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Larger and boxier than the design it replaced, the Car of Tomorrow is safer, costs less to maintain, and was intended to make for closer competition.The car was introduced in the 2007 Cup...
.
2008
Osborne and Edwards kicked off the 2008 season by taking home the checkered flag in two of the first three races, and continued their winning ways throughout the season. The duo paired to record the most wins, top-five and top-10 finishes of all Cup drivers. Their quest for the championship came up just short, finishing just 69 points behind champion Jimmie Johnson
Jimmie Johnson
Jimmie Kenneth Johnson is an American NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race car driver. He currently drives the No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports....
.
2009
In 2009, Edwards entered the season as one of the teams to beat. In a disappointment, Edwards and Osborne did not win a race for the second time in a season together making the chase but finishing 11th in points.
2010
The 2010 season wasn't much different than 2009 although the team managed to win the final two races of the year at Phoenix and Homestead-Miami
Homestead-Miami Speedway
Homestead-Miami Speedway is a race track in Homestead, Florida southwest of Miami.Since 2002 Homestead has hosted the final races of the season in all three of NASCAR's series: the Sprint Cup Series, Nationwide Series, and the Camping World Truck Series...
finishing the season with huge momentum and finishing 4th in the chase standings.
2011
The No. 99 team got another win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Las Vegas Motor Speedway, located in Clark County, Nevada near Las Vegas, is a complex of multiple tracks for automobile racing. The complex is owned by Speedway Motorsports, Inc., which is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina.-History:...
as well as the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race XXVII
NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race XXVII
The NASCAR Sprint Showdown and Sprint All-Star Race XXVII was the 27th running of NASCAR's special non-points race involving winners of the 2010 and 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races through the 2011 FedEx 400 as well as Sprint All-Star Race XVII-XXVI winners, when the event was known as "The...
. Although having the most top 5's, top 10's, and best average finish than anyone else in 2011, the team fell short again in the championship to surging Tony Stewart
Tony Stewart
Anthony Wayne "Tony" Stewart is an American auto racing driver and owner. Throughout his racing career, Stewart has won titles in Indy cars and stock cars as well as midget, sprint and USAC Silver Crown cars, giving him the recognition of "one of the finest racers of his generation."Stewart...
, who won five of the ten chase races that year. Although in a virtual tie in the points, Stewart owned the tie-breaker with more wins giving him the title.
At the end of the 2011 season, Carl Edwards's contract with Roush-Fenway Racing would be up leaving both Edwards's and Osborne's futures in question. On August 4, Edwards announced he had signed a multi-year deal keeping him at Roush with Osborne as his crew chief.