| | GO-GETTER | Can Biffle master Martinsville? | |
| | By Tom Jensen / SPEEDTV.com Little more than two years removed from a tantalizingly close runner-up finish in the NASCAR Sprint Cup championship, Roush Fenway Racing’s Greg Biffle is once again firmly in the title discussion.
After subpar seasons in 2006 and ’07, the Washington native is off to a sensational start this season, sitting second in the points behind Kyle Busch and flashing the kind of form that previously led him to titles in NASCAR’s Nationwide and Craftsman Truck Series.
In his quest to become the first driver to capture championships in all three of NASCAR’s top divisions, Biffle will have to overcome his own personal Achilles Heel, Martinsville Speedway. The Virginia short track, site of Sunday’s Goody’s Cool Orange 500, has confounded a lot of drivers over the years, Biffle merely being one of the more recent.
Prior to last October’s Martinsville race, when he finished seventh, Biffle’s three prior results here were a pair of 32nd-place runs and a 31st. Prior to those dismal results, a 20th-place finish at Martinsville in October 2005 more than accounted for the 35 points that Biffle fell short of in his pursuit of eventual series champion Tony Stewart, who finished second in that race.
There is no question Biffle’s back. If he can score his first top-five finish – or even a victory – at Martinsville, he likely would elevate himself into the position of championship favorite this year.
“Martinsville is in the Chase (for the Sprint Cup),” said Biffle. “If I can’t run in the top 10 consistently at Martinsville, it’s gonna be tough to win a Sprint Cup title, and I felt like the last time we were there that we were capable now as a team and as a car and as a driver to compete in the top 10, so we just need to go back and do that again.”
Of course, that’s easier said than done. Martinsville is notoriously difficult on brakes, a problem that’s slowed the Roush Fenway Racing cars here in the past, and handling is critical, too.
“You’ve got to get your car to turn real good around the center of the corner and that’s what makes it fast,” said Biffle. “If your car won’t do that, it’s like you’ve got one arm rubberbanded behind your back – there’s nothing you can do. You can’t change your driving style. You can’t loosen your car up. You can’t really do anything. If your car just won’t turn around there, that track is so small and so finesse, you’re just kind of doomed. Whereas at Darlington, Texas, Phoenix – any of those other places – you can kind of change your line up. You can get a little higher getting in, get the car a little looser, try to burp the throttle in the center – but all of that stuff doesn’t work at Martinsville.”
So that leaves Biffle in two mindsets, not optimistic based on what he’s seen here overall, but more optimistic based on his last race here. In either event, he knows Sunday will be a critical litmus test, although the next two races after Martinsville – at Texas Motor Speedway and Phoenix International Raceway – are races where he’ll likely be among the favorites.
“I’m really nervous about Martinsville this weekend,” said Biffle. “Like I said, that place has not been my best race track in the past, but I’m excited about it now because we ran so well there last time. That’s why I’m excited about going back. Texas and Phoenix, I can’t wait. I just can’t wait. I want to win a race bad.”
| | Posted March 27, 2008 , 3:01 am EST
Last Updated March 27, 2008 , 10:16 am EST | | | | | | |
