Biffle Holds On For 17th in Aflac Ford Fusion
Fontana, Cal. (September 2, 2007) - Greg Biffle and the No. 16 Aflac team went to California this weekend hoping to come home with a top-10 finish. It seemed that they had something to work with based on their practice times and qualifying effort but from the drop of the green flag, they just couldn't get the handling right on the Aflac Ford Fusion. They made major changes throughout the race but in the end, Biffle was credited with a 17th place finish. Biffle remains 15th in the Nextel Cup point standings.
Despite temperatures of over 100 degrees, the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series drivers took the green flag on a balmy Sunday afternoon in Fontana, California. Biffle started on the outside of row five in the 10th position. He was running 12th when the first caution of the day came out on lap nine and opted to bring the Aflac Ford in for four tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment as the car was a little loose.
Biffle returned to the track in the 25th position for the restart on lap 12 but again began to drop back with a loose racecar. The second caution of the day came out on lap 16 for debris and Biffle took the opportunity to pit for further adjustments. He came in on lap 17 for four tires, fuel, a track bar adjustment and a wedge adjustment. When green flag racing resumed on lap 19, Biffle was in the 31st position.
During a caution on lap 23, Biffle opted not to pit and was able to restart from the eighth position as several other teams made the trip to pit road. Shortly after the restart, Biffle picked up three positions and then passed Ryan Newman for fourth on lap 29. It seemed that the car's handling had improved and Biffle was able to remain in the top five until the next caution on lap 39.
Biffle had reported that the car was starting to loosen up again so he pitted for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment. He restarted 17th on lap 45 as several teams opted not to pit. Biffle hung around inside the top 20 for several laps but reported on lap 51 that he had no rear grip and began to lose positions.
When a yellow flag flew on lap 71, Biffle and the team decided it was time for a major adjustment and Biffle brought the Aflac Ford Fusion to pit road for four tires, fuel, an air pressure adjustment and a spring rubber adjustment. Biffle was penalized for being too fast exiting pit road and restarted 37th on lap 77. He picked up five positions before the next caution but was still not happy with the car's handling.
The Aflac crew gave Biffle another spring rubber adjustment and he restarted 28th on lap 90. He reported that the car was a little better and remained just inside the top 30 until a caution on lap 111. The team made a decision to take on only right side tires and make a track bar adjustment and Biffle was able to restart fourth on lap 116. He again reported that the car was too loose and began to quickly lose positions.
Biffle was running 32nd when a round of green flag stops began on lap 149 and he quickly brought the Aflac Ford in for four tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment. He was 29th on the board when the green flag stops were complete on lap 156. The leader, Kyle Busch had just gotten by Biffle when the next caution came out on lap 163. Fortunately, that left Biffle in the Lucky Dog position and he was back on the lead lap.
The crew and Biffle decided that the adjustments they had been making just weren't enough and decided to make a left rear spring change during the pit stop on lap 166. As Biffle was the Lucky Dog, he would have to restart at the tail end of the lead lap anyway and the team was able to make the change in the pits. Biffle restarted 26th on lap 168 and was able to pick up several positions during a yellow-flag pit stop on lap 175.
Biffle pitted one more time under green flag conditions on lap 213 and was able to run fast enough to remain on the lead lap for a 17th place finish.
"We just missed the setup again," said Biffle. "It's frustrating. I don't know what it is, but we'll keep working on it. We've only got a few more races with these cars anyway, but we'll keep working at it."
Biffle and the Aflac team are currently 15th in the Nextel Cup point standings and trail the leader by 1005 points. They are 335 points out of the 12th position in the point standings. The team will return to the track on Saturday, September 8th at Richmond International Raceway.
About Roush Fenway Racing:
Roush Fenway Racing is NASCAR's largest team operating 14 motorsports teams, five in NASCAR NEXTEL Cup with drivers Matt Kenseth, Jamie McMurray, Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards and David Ragan; five in the Busch Series with Kenseth, Biffle, Edwards, McMurray, Ragan, Todd Kluever, Michel Jourdain Jr. and Danny O'Quinn Jr.; and three in the Craftsman Truck Series with Edwards, Peter Shepherd, Travis Kvapil, Erik Darnell and T.J. Bell ; and one in the ARCA/REMAX Series with Colin Braun and Darnell. For more information on any of the Roush Fenway Racing teams, log onto www.RoushFenway.com. For sponsorship inquiries please contact Robin Johnson at 704.720.4645.
