Post by dalejrfan on Jun 26, 2005 22:13:03 GMT -5
Johnson struggles, allowing Biffle to move into points lead
SONOMA, Calif. - Greg Biffle is ready for his close-up.
Biffle didn't add to his Nextel Cup-leading total of five victories in Sunday's Dodge 350 at Infineon Raceway, but he did take over the lead in the points standings.
By finishing 14th in a race in which he started 41st, Biffle capitalized on Jimmie Johnson's problems to move into the top spot. He's now ahead by 22 points.
In one sense, that matters very little. As long as Biffle's in the top 10 after the 26th race at Richmond in September, he'll be in the Chase for the Nextel Cup.
That's fine, Biffle said, but he wanted to take over the lead.
"I think it's just because the eyes and the focus are one you," Biffle said.
"We had won five races, but we weren't leading the points. Now we are.
"We wanted to lead. We want them to talk about us and write about us a little bit and now we're on top for a little bit."
Biffle fell 208 points behind Johnson after finishing 41st at Phoenix on April 23. He finished 13th at Talladega, then ripped off four wins and two sixth-place finishes in a seven-race stretch that established the No. 16 Ford as the circuit's hottest team.
"We've had two or three bad races and we've been able to bounce back from them," said Biffle, whose recent surge was interrupted by a 30th-place finish at Pocono two races ago when the brakes failed on his Ford. "Today, we didn't have that great of a car. We just had to work on it. I just did the best I could. ...I stayed on the track."
Actually, Biffle didn't stay on the track as much as some of his rivals did.
He pitted on two early cautions in an effort to get off-sequence to make up some of the track position he lost when he spun on his qualifying lap on Friday.
That strategy converted into a stay in the lead from Lap 35 to Lap 42 as the drivers who'd started much closer to the front came in for their first stops under green.
Biffle then took a bit of a gamble when he came in after a caution on Lap 65, knowing he'd have to stretch fuel mileage to make it the rest of way.
He was running inside the top 10 before a final caution came out on Lap 103.
"We lost about six spots because of that," Biffle said. "I was light-footing it on the throttle and let a couple of guys go because of the big picture. We needed to make it."
Now, he'll take the points lead into Saturday's Pepsi 400 at Daytona International Speedway. That's the track where Biffle got his first career win two years ago.
"I am taking my Bud Shootout car there," said Biffle, who finished fifth in that special event the week before the Daytona 500. "We're ready to go back. We like going to Daytona. It's a big place with a lot happening there."
Biffle finished 25th in the Daytona 500 earlier this year. If he can't better that next weekend, he might not keep the points lead for long.
Biffle said that doesn't matter.
"Even if I only lead it for a week," he said, "I wanted to be the points leader."
And now he is.
SONOMA, Calif. - Greg Biffle is ready for his close-up.
Biffle didn't add to his Nextel Cup-leading total of five victories in Sunday's Dodge 350 at Infineon Raceway, but he did take over the lead in the points standings.
By finishing 14th in a race in which he started 41st, Biffle capitalized on Jimmie Johnson's problems to move into the top spot. He's now ahead by 22 points.
In one sense, that matters very little. As long as Biffle's in the top 10 after the 26th race at Richmond in September, he'll be in the Chase for the Nextel Cup.
That's fine, Biffle said, but he wanted to take over the lead.
"I think it's just because the eyes and the focus are one you," Biffle said.
"We had won five races, but we weren't leading the points. Now we are.
"We wanted to lead. We want them to talk about us and write about us a little bit and now we're on top for a little bit."
Biffle fell 208 points behind Johnson after finishing 41st at Phoenix on April 23. He finished 13th at Talladega, then ripped off four wins and two sixth-place finishes in a seven-race stretch that established the No. 16 Ford as the circuit's hottest team.
"We've had two or three bad races and we've been able to bounce back from them," said Biffle, whose recent surge was interrupted by a 30th-place finish at Pocono two races ago when the brakes failed on his Ford. "Today, we didn't have that great of a car. We just had to work on it. I just did the best I could. ...I stayed on the track."
Actually, Biffle didn't stay on the track as much as some of his rivals did.
He pitted on two early cautions in an effort to get off-sequence to make up some of the track position he lost when he spun on his qualifying lap on Friday.
That strategy converted into a stay in the lead from Lap 35 to Lap 42 as the drivers who'd started much closer to the front came in for their first stops under green.
Biffle then took a bit of a gamble when he came in after a caution on Lap 65, knowing he'd have to stretch fuel mileage to make it the rest of way.
He was running inside the top 10 before a final caution came out on Lap 103.
"We lost about six spots because of that," Biffle said. "I was light-footing it on the throttle and let a couple of guys go because of the big picture. We needed to make it."
Now, he'll take the points lead into Saturday's Pepsi 400 at Daytona International Speedway. That's the track where Biffle got his first career win two years ago.
"I am taking my Bud Shootout car there," said Biffle, who finished fifth in that special event the week before the Daytona 500. "We're ready to go back. We like going to Daytona. It's a big place with a lot happening there."
Biffle finished 25th in the Daytona 500 earlier this year. If he can't better that next weekend, he might not keep the points lead for long.
Biffle said that doesn't matter.
"Even if I only lead it for a week," he said, "I wanted to be the points leader."
And now he is.