Biffle on the Shootout: This is about the most excited I can remember being about the start of a season. We had a good test at Daytona last month and we’re looking forward to seeing what we’ve got in the draft. The Shootout is a big deal if for no other reason than it is the first race of the season. It’s not a points race, so we can go out there and just have fun with it. It’s always good to get the extra laps and be able to experiment with a few things during practice and even the during the Shootout. I think we’re all just looking forward to getting back to racing.”
Erwin on the Shootout: “It’s obviously very advantageous to be in the Shootout to get the extra track time for the Daytona 500. If you can go down there and run well in the Shootout, that can be a big morale booster for next week. It just really gives everyone on the team including the driver a chance to kind of work the bugs out before we get into a points race. We didn’t get to do a lot of drafting at the test, so the Shootout will give us a better indication of how our cars will perform in traffic. We believe the new nose we have for this season will be beneficial but it will be great to test that in race conditions before the 500.” Daytona Notes
- • Biffle’s average finish in the Shootout is 14th from an average starting position of 11th.
- • In the 2010 Shootout Biffle ran in the top 10 for most of the race but spun shortly after the drop of the green flag on a green/white/checker finish while challenging Kevin Harvick for the lead.
- • This weekend will mark Biffle’s fifth consecutive Shootout start.
- • Mike Lingerfelt will be joining the 3M Pit Bulls for the 2011 season in the front tire changer position. Todd Zeigler, who has been a tire changer with Roush Fenway since 1998, opted to take on a non-travel role with the team.
- • The 3M Pit Bulls hero card is scheduled to be available in Daytona. It will feature the Pit Bulls in the Roush Fenway Racing pit crew training facility.
- • Fans wishing to follow the 3M team through the 2011 season on Twitter can find them @163MTEAM.
- • Biffle will be featured in another season of “Breakfast with the Biff” during the “NASCAR Now” raceday coverage on ESPN2. The show generally airs on raceday from 9:00 am – 10:00 am ET.
- • The No. 16 Ford will feature the new 2011 3M paint scheme throughout speedweeks. The paint scheme first ran at the All-Star race in 2010 and received such positive reviews that it is now the primary scheme for the 2011 season.
- • Visit www.shop3M.com to learn more about all of the innovative products 3M has to offer.
