Anger and anguish describe Greg Biffle’s season-to-date, perfectly. The Roush Fenway Racing (RFR) veteran driver remains winless through 2014, and has only notched one top-10 finish in February at Daytona International Speedway. Now, after a dismal season beginning, Biffle is in desperate need of a good showing at Texas Motor Speedway to help keep his name on the ballot for a Chase berth.
“As a team we are looking to gain momentum, get back on track and get a good run at Texas,” Biffle explained prior to this weekend’s event. “A win is important for us at this stage in the game, but so is a top-five finish and to run competitively. I feel really good where we are at; leading laps at Martinsville was great for us. We just need to close the deal and (Texas) is one of our best tracks.”
Biffle, 44, has already visited victory lane in the lonestar state two prior times, including a triumph at this racetrack during the 2012 season – which was celebrated greatly, as it was crew chief Matt Puccia’s first win in the Sprint Cup Series.
“Texas has always been a good track for us,” Puccia expressed about running at Texas. “We got our first win as a team back in 2012 at Texas, so it is a very special place for me. It was my first Cup win, so it’s always a little more special going back to that race track.”
However, Puccia doesn’t expect the track to be in the same condition as that win two seasons ago, and he also explained how much of a challenge this track will be on Sunday.
“The track its self is starting to show its age,” Puccia alluded to on Friday afternoon. “As a crew chief you have to deal with bumps and mechanical grip, while maintaining a good aero platform. It’s a challenge we are looking forward to tackling this weekend.”
Biffle qualified his No. 16 ‘Give Kids A Smile’ Ford in the fourth position, which marks his best starting position this season.
“I thought it was pretty good,” Biffle expressed about his qualifying run. “We definitely had a car that could have qualified on the front row, but I missed turn one by a little bit. I don’t know if it was enough to beat (Tony Stewart) or not on that last (segment), but we’re really happy that we’ve got a decent car we can work with this weekend.”
Biffle, who has 20 Cup Series starts in Forth Worth, Texas, has an average finish of 12.7 and is currently second in most laps led at the historic 1.5-mile speedway.
This weekend appears to be an intriguing opportunity for Biffle as he looks for his first appearance in victory lane this weekend that will all but clinch him a berth in the Chase.
