After racking up nearly every accolade in the sprint car and midget car scenes, a young Ricky Stenhouse Jr. made his leap into the stock car racing world in 2008 with RFK Racing (then known as Roush Fenway Racing). And ever since, no matter which team he’s driven for, Stenhouse has always carried a soft spot for Jack Roush and his crew.
As the final laps of 2025 wound down at Phoenix Raceway last weekend, RFK Racing faced the end of an era. In a somber moment, the team announced the departure of Edgar Aleman, its very first employee and one of the pillars behind its Ford-powered success. The news stirred heartfelt reactions across the garage, with the now-Hyak Motorsports racer leading the tributes to the unsung hero.
The Silent Engine Behind the Empire – Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Honors RFK Racing’s Legendary Engine Man
It didn’t take many words, just a few heartfelt lines from bossman Roush, yet they carried the weight of nearly half a century. “Edgar is an example of the very best of our employees that have helped us have the success with wins and championships that we’ve had,” the 83-year-old mogul noted, honoring one of the true cornerstones of RFK Racing.
Aleman’s story reads like a racing fable. In the late 1970s, a young mechanic from Puerto Rico was fine-tuning engines at a local drag strip when fate, in the form of Roush, came calling. Struck by Aleman’s craftsmanship and expertise, Roush offered him a job on the spot, making him the team’s very first employee.
From that moment in 1978, Aleman became the pulse behind Roush’s powerhouse operation. Over the course of the next 47 years, his hands and heart shaped countless victories, including the legendary dominance of Mark Martin’s iconic No. 60 Xfinity car. Though he preferred to stay out of the spotlight, his work roared every weekend from beneath the hood.
Reflecting on the news, 40-time NASCAR Cup Series winner Martin wrote, “Edgar was the engine man on the 60 car the entire time I drove it. He was a fantastic friend and team member. Congratulations, Edgar.”
Not long after, Stenhouse Jr. added his own heartfelt tribute, posting, “Loved working with Edgar, we had some fantastic times. Congrats on a great career and enjoy retirement. He knew how to tune some engines!!”
It was a message that carried extra weight coming from someone who, back in 2008, began his stock car journey with Roush Fenway Racing in the ARCA Series. In just his sixth career start, Stenhouse captured his first ARCA RE/MAX Series victory at Kentucky Speedway, an early glimpse of the talent that would later flourish under the same banner Aleman helped build.
In his final chapter with the team, Aleman served as an Assembly Mechanic, a fitting role for someone who had literally helped build the team from the ground up. To honor his decades of dedication, Roush presented him with a personalized RFK Racing helmet and one last parting gift any true craftsman would cherish: the very toolbox that had powered his lifelong passion.
