RFR announced that Steve Newmark will replace Smith at team president. Newmark joined the team earlier this year, as senior vice president of business operations. Prior to that, he served as an attorney with Robinson, Bradshaw, & Hinson.

He will oversee the business operations of RFR, serving as liaison between the team and its ownership board.

Smith was quoted as saying:

The task this organization has before it has never been more difficult. It’s going to take a lot of hard work, but we’ve got the right guy. [Newmark] complements the people we have here and will do a great job.

Newmark added:

We are fortunate to have one of the largest sales and marketing teams in the industry, and the caliber of individuals in that group is actually one of the reasons that this opportunity was so appealing to me. That said, as with any leadership transition, there will be certain cultural changes and we do have a number of new initiatives that we intend to pursue, which are primarily designed at enhancing the value of our programs to our partners.

SceneDaily.com also pointed out:

The 2011 season will be an important one for Roush Fenway Racing. The team is seeking full sponsorships for Nationwide Series cars driven by Trevor Bayne and Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and a partial sponsorship for the car driven by Carl Edwards. It also will be working on renewals with its biggest Sprint Cup partners, 3M, Aflac, Crown Royal and UPS.

RFR President Geoff Smith told the Associated Press via a text message that Roush suffered facial lacerations that may require surgery.

Reports indicate that Roush was flying a Beechcraft Premeir 1A, registered to Roush Fenway Racing, LLC, from Detroit to Oshkosh, Wisc. to attend the Experimental Aircraft Association’s annual AirVenture. On landing, the plane made hard contact, cracking the fuselage.

According to NASCAR journalist Bob Margolis, who is penning a book about Roush’s life, Roush bumped his head during the crash and cut his face. He was evaluated at a local hospital and was okay.

A statment from the EEA confirmed that. The statement said:

Each exited the aircraft following the accident. Both were transported to local hospitals, with Roush in serious but stable condition and Strickland with non-life threatening injuries.

Update: Jack Roush has been upgraded from serious but stable condition to fair condition, ans he continues to recover from his injuries. He will continue to be treated at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. At this time, there is no timetable for his release from the hospital.

UPS’s contract runs through the 2011 season, while Ragan’s contract includes options for 2011.

Smith said of the rumors that Ragan and UPS could be leaving:

What that is is wishful thinking by people who don’t have sponsors. David Ragan does a really good job with UPS and we’re hoping that his youth will mature on the race track. …  I have a contractual expectation that they will be here. I have an anticipation that David’s on-track activity will improve over the year.