Greg Biffle – Daytona 500 Advance

Greg Biffle – Daytona 500 Advance

Team:                      No. 16 3M Ford Fusion
Crew Chief:               Matt Puccia
Primary Chassis:        RK-798 Last ran Daytona in July – finished 17th
Backup Chassis:        RK-852  Last ran Talladega – finished 11th

ADVANCE NOTES

·        Biffle in the Daytona 500
o   In 2013 Biffle finished second in both the Sprint Unlimited and the Duel, setting himself up fifth for the Daytona 500.  Biffle was looking at a third-place finish, until the bottom line made a move in the end, resulting in a sixth-place finish.

o   In 2012 Biffle started second in the Daytona 500 and during the race led the field eight different times for a combined total of 44 laps.  In the end he fell just short of winning, settling for a third-place finish.

o   Biffle has 11 career Daytona 500 starts, earning two top-five and four top-10 finishes.
o   Biffle earned his first career Sprint Cup pole position in 2004 for the Daytona 500.

·        Biffle at Daytona
o   July 2003 – Biffle earns first Sprint Cup victory at Daytona
o   February 2004 – Biffle earns first career pole position for the Daytona 500
o   February 2012 – Biffle is part of the Daytona 500 all-Ford starting row with a second-place qualifying effort

·        The Car
o   Chassis RK-798 first hit the track in 2012 at Talladega, earning a sixth-place finish.  This is the same chassis Biffle crossed the finish line 17th last July at Daytona.

·        3M
o   The 2014 season will mark the seventh season 3M has been the primary sponsor of Greg Biffle and the No. 16.  Post-it brand made the debut for 3M in 2005 and in 2006 3M could be seen on the hood in the Nationwide Series with Biffle.  After sponsoring a few races in 2007, they moved up to full time in 2008.

·        Florida Boys
o   Two members of the 3M team call Florida home.  Driveline mechanic Alan Buzze is from Vero Beach, FL, while chassis mechanic Jason Overstreet is from Clearwater Beach, FL.

Biffle on the Daytona 500:

“When we came down here in January we just weren’t as fast as we wanted and we went home, did our homework, worked really, really hard and found some speed.  These guys have worked so hard on this race car, the engine shop, nobody has given up.  I feel good about the speed we had during qualifying and I’m ready for the 500.”

Puccia on the Daytona 500:

“So far it seems like we’ve found some decent speed.  We came up a little short qualifying third, but we have a good car for the 500.  We’ve put in a lot of work getting ready for Daytona and we still have a little bit ahead of us.  I’m proud to have 3M on the hood of our No. 16 Ford and it’s important for us to get a good run to start the season.”