Results remain the same but Greg Biffle and team continue to surge

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March 11, 2012

[media-credit name=”Simon Scoggins” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]Already three races into the Sprint Cup Series season Greg Biffle and company have fallen into a comfortable rhythm.

The No. 16 3M / Meguiars Ford Fusion team brought home their third straight third place finish on Sunday in Las Vegas. They only led two laps but Biffle was around when it counted at the end, ready to strike had the front two opened up the door.

“It certainly started off to be a good season for us so far,” Biffle said afterward. “Just plain and simply, Matt Puccia [crew chief] is the reason why we’re running and competing and finishing where we are. This team needed leadership. He was willing to step up and take the task on. Done a fantastic job so far.”

Biffle doesn’t deny that there’s disappointment though. After qualifying ninth and having a car that he felt was faster this weekend than they had last year, it left the team scratching their heads.

“We knew it was going to be a tough battle today,” he said. “We knew some cars had better speed than us, if we just hung tough, kept our track position, worked on it, we might be there at the end. That’s certainly what happened today.

“But it was clear that the 14 [Tony Stewart] and 48 [Jimmie Johnson] were just a little bit better than we were, 17 [Matt Kenseth] car looked like he was a little bit better than we were. So, like we thought it would come out, we had about a top five car and finished third, so we’re super excited about it.

“Then again, we want to win like the 14 car did today. So we’re going to keep out heads down and keep working hard.”

There was no touching Stewart on this day, who Biffle said it was clear had more power than himself and Johnson. Stewart had power that he’d never seen before and he would take off on a restart like Biffle never thought was possible.

At times though, Biffle was able to follow Stewart to the front, enjoying the holes that he was making. Except once he got to Stewart’s bumper that’s when the 16 started to slide and he had to get off the gas or put himself in the fence.

Clean air was king and it was hard to pass if a driver didn’t have that. It left Biffle moving around on the track as he tried to close in on those ahead of him, but to no avail.

The car just didn’t turn he said, and he and the team fought the loose conditions all through practice and then tight conditions on race day. Add in that Biffle thought he wasn’t aggressive enough when it came to making changes and it stopped him from being “up their tail pipe at the end.”

Instead, Biffle will take the finish and continue to praise Puccia and the work he has done to the 16 team. Even though he took the reins midway through the 2011 season, Biffle and company wouldn’t let him make any changes until the offseason.

Only then could he start moving people around, moving people out and directing the team the way he wanted. Now the results of those moves are showing and have Biffle leading the Cup points for the second time in his career as the series heads to Bristol next weekend.

“It has all to do, a hundred percent, with where we’re at right now,” said Biffle. “That’s why we changed and put the crew chief in charge last year. Then we kept handcuffs on him, wouldn’t let him change any people or change out guys as he went two, three, four, five, six weeks into his job. So we waited till the offseason.

“I say ‘we,’ Robbie [Reiser, Roush Fenway general manager] and all the guys waited till the offseason to make the changes. We were waiting to figure out what we were going to do with the 6 car. We were waiting to figure out what we were going to do with the 6 car. We were waiting to see what was going to happen because it would determine whether we got a sponsor for the 6 or not. We were going to have a bunch of people that we could move internally around the company if we downsized.

“So Matt, we free rein, got to pick the guys he wanted on the 16. It’s all been Matt. Matt has done all this himself with some guidance from the company.”

Tony Stewart Smokes The Competition in Las Vegas

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SM Staff

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March 11, 2012

[media-credit id=22 align=”alignright” width=”200″][/media-credit]Last year, Stewart dominated and came close to winning, but found himself at the bad end of a penalty late in the race. This year, he dominated once again and was able to close the deal, holding Jimmie Johnson off coming to the checkered flag.

“I don’t know if we had the dominate car today, but we were so strong on the restarts,” he says. “I had to go. I knew that when Matt and Greg had better tires than us, I knew we’d be able to hold them off for a little bit. I didn’t know we could hold them off till the end.”

The win marks the first for Stewart at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, now leaving him with only two tracks on NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule he hasn’t won at – Darlington and Kentucky. It also marks the first win for Stewart with new crew chief Steve Addington.

“We talked three times before the race,” Stewart says of Addington. “He is very thorough with us, he explains the changes, he wants your input. He’s been very good at getting to know these guys.”

Addington says that for him, it allowed him to take a lot of pressure off of himself.

“He kept telling me to relax and have fun and we’re going to win our races,” he says. “But I take it very personal every time that race goes on the track. I put more on than I thought I would with them winning the championship, for me. Everybody at Stewart-Haas has been great, doing what I asked, asking me what I wanted done. It’s just been about me putting pressure on myself.”

With 34 laps to go, Stewart made a daring three-wide pass on the restart to get by Brad Keselowski and take the lead. Stewart would lose the lead after coming down pit road for a splash of gas, but was able to get the lead back with on a later restart with 17 laps to go. He never looked back, holding on to the lead through the final two restarts.

“That’s what made today special,” he says. “We didn’t have to hold off the challenge once; we had to hold them off multiple times. It makes me feel like I’ve earned my keep.”

Jimmie Johnson came home second after having to start at the back of the field with a back-up car due to a wreck in practice.

“With everything we went through this weekend, we’ll take it,” he says. “But man, I want to win. We had a little more speed, but tony could get away on the restarts and through the gears. We’ll have to see what we’re doing, what I’m doing wrong.”

Greg Biffle would score a third place finish after making his way through the Roush-Fenway scramble on the backstretch after the restart. On the restart, Matt Kenseth spun the tires, which caused Carl Edwards to make a move on the inside of Matt on the apron to make it three wide. The group made it through turn one, before Kenseth made contact with Kasey Kahne, causing him to get into the wall.

“I just got down in there, Carl was on the top digging,” Biffle says. “I was just trying to ease up, giving him room – I didn’t see what happened back there.”

“Matt spun his tires just a little bit on the restart,” Edwards explains. “I went down on the apron, he gave us a lot of room. We just got all bunched up back there.”

“Carl just laid back and got by me three-wide,” Kenseth says. “They got by me through the middle of the corner and then they just got up in front of me and stopped.”

Ryan Newman finished fourth, followed by Edwards. Clint Bowyer finished sixth, followed by Paul Menard, Jamie McMurray and Trevor Bayne. Dale Earnhardt Jr. would round out of top 10 after leading the first 40 laps of the race.

“The racecar was really tight,” Earnhardt Jr. says. “I knew by the end of the race, it was going to be a really, really tight race track and we needed to free the car up. I didn’t give Stevie enough information throughout the day to tell him how tight it was. I didn’t keep up my end and gave up a lot of spots at the end of the race.”

Pole sitter Kasey Kahne finished 19^th after struggling with the handling of the car during the second half of the race.

Greg Biffle now leads the points, 10 points over Kevin Harvick. Denny Hamlin sits third in points, followed by Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Matt Kenseth.

Unofficial Race Results
Kobalt Tools 400, Las Vegas Motor Speedway
http://www.speedwaymedia.com/Cup/race.php?race=3
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Pos.	St.	No.	Driver	Make	Points
=========================================
1	–	14	Tony Stewart	Chevrolet	48
2	–	48	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet	43
3	–	16	Greg Biffle	Ford	42
4	–	39	Ryan Newman	Chevrolet	40
5	–	99	Carl Edwards	Ford	39
6	–	15	Clint Bowyer	Toyota	39
7	–	27	Paul Menard	Chevrolet	37
8	–	1	Jamie McMurray	Chevrolet	36
9	–	21	Trevor Bayne	Ford	0
10	–	88	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	Chevrolet	35
11	–	29	Kevin Harvick	Chevrolet	34
12	–	24	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet	33
13	–	9	Marcos Ambrose	Ford	31
14	–	31	Jeff Burton	Chevrolet	30
15	–	78	Regan Smith	Chevrolet	29
16	–	20	Joey Logano	Toyota	28
17	–	56	Martin Truex Jr.	Toyota	27
18	–	55	Mark Martin	Toyota	26
19	–	5	Kasey Kahne	Chevrolet	25
20	–	11	Denny Hamlin	Toyota	24
21	–	34	David Ragan	Ford	24
22	–	17	Matt Kenseth	Ford	23
23	–	18	Kyle Busch	Toyota	21
24	–	43	Aric Almirola	Ford	20
25	–	42	Juan Montoya	Chevrolet	19
26	–	47	Bobby Labonte	Toyota	18
27	–	13	Casey Mears	Ford	17
28	–	30	David Stremme	Toyota	16
29	–	36	Dave Blaney	Chevrolet	15
30	–	32	Ken Schrader	Ford	14
31	–	10	David Reutimann	Chevrolet	13
32	–	2	Brad Keselowski	Dodge	13
33	–	38	David Gilliland	Ford	11
34	–	33	Brendan Gaughan	Chevrolet	10
35	–	51	Kurt Busch	Chevrolet	9
36	–	83	Landon Cassill	Toyota	8
37	–	22	A.J. Allmendinger	Dodge	8
38	–	98	Michael McDowell	Ford	6
39	–	93	Travis Kvapil	Toyota	5
40	–	26	Josh Wise *	Ford	4
41	–	87	Joe Nemechek	Toyota	0
42	–	37	Timmy Hill*	Ford	2
43	–	249	J.J. Yeley	Toyota	1

CHEVY NSCS AT LAS VEGAS — Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson Post Race Transcripts

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March 11, 2012

Bayne Surges to Top-10 Finish at Las Vegas

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March 11, 2012

Regan Smith comes on strong to finish 15th in Vegas

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March 11, 2012

Brett Moffitt Heads to Bristol with Former Mentor and New Race Team

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SM Staff

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March 11, 2012

[media-credit name=”Photo Credit: hometracks.nascar.com” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]Young up and coming racer Brett Moffitt has had an interesting journey, from his racing start under the tutelage of four-time K&N Pro Series champion Andy Santerre to racing for some of the biggest teams in the sport, including Joe Gibbs Racing and Michael Waltrip Racing.

But as he kicks off his 2012 K&N Pro Series East season in Bristol, Moffitt is back where he belongs, under the familiar wing of Santerre and with a whole new race team Hattori Racing Enterprises. Moffitt will pilot the No. 11 Toyota Camry and will join teammate Sergio Pena in the Shigeaki Hattori stable.

“Ever since I drove for Andy (Santerre) in 2009, Andy and my dad have been in constant communication,” Moffitt said. “Andy’s been a big help to my career over the past three years.”

“So, when this opportunity came up, Andy told Shigeaki Hattori that he knew should drive his second car and luckily that was me.”

While Moffitt may seem a bit devoted to his old mentor, he knows that Santerre not only has the experience behind him but also has the strength of the new HRE race team with him as well.

“Working for Andy Santerre is just really great,” Moffitt said. “He’s been there. He’s driven race cars, he’s won races and he’s won championships.”

“So, he knows what it takes,” Moffitt continued. “Being able to work for him is really great for a driver because he understands everything you say. He’s always looking out for your best interests as a driver.”

Moffitt has had an eventful three years since debuting as a 16 year old with Andy Santerre in the K&N East Series. Since then, he has had seven wins, four pole positions, 20 top-5 and 25 top-10 finishes and has never finished worse than 3^rd in the championship standings.

“After I left Andy last time, I went to Joe Gibbs Racing for a year,” Moffitt said. “I ran in the K&N East Series for them. We were really competitive for them and ended up second in the points.”

“After that, I went to Michael Waltrip Racing,” Moffitt continued. “That was a huge step for my career.”

“MWR made me feel important as a driver,” Moffitt said. “I came in every day and worked on the cars and in the shop.”

“They put a big emphasis on my physical training and I’m still associated with them,” Moffitt continued. “I still have a trainer with them so I go there every day and still work out. That’s always a good connection to still maintain.”

With his return to his mentor Andy Santerre, as well as his new assignment with Hattori Racing Enterprises, Moffitt is excited to get his 2012 race season underway. He just recently finished up testing at Bristol, the first race of the season for the K&N Pro Series East.

“The test went really well,” Moffitt said. “From the first time we unloaded, we had to work on them a little bit but by the end of the day, we were pretty comfortable.”

“We have a couple things we are working with back at the shop and hopefully when we come back to the track, we will be ready to have a good race,” Moffitt continued. “The car was real fast and I’m really looking forward to the race.”

Moffitt has been only been guaranteed eight races with HRE Racing. The remainder of the season’s racing will be dependent on sponsorship, as is so often the case.

“This year Hattori approached me as a driver,” Moffitt said. “They weren’t looking for a driver with a lot of money, just one that they could win races and win championships with.”

“Right now, I’m only guaranteed eight races, with the first race at Bristol on March 17^th,” Moffitt said.” That’s where the sponsorship comes into play.”

“We’re still out there searching so hopefully we’re able to find something by then,” Moffitt continued. “But we’re just going to take the first eight and try to be the best we can. Hopefully we’ll find a sponsor and be able to finish it out.”

Moffitt is also looking forward to working with his new teammate at Hattori Racing Enterprises. He will be paired with fellow Santerre protégé Sergio Pena.

“Me and Sergio have always gotten along real well,” Moffitt said. “So, it’s going to be a really fun year. We’re both obviously proven race winners so I think it will be a good year for the team this year.”

In addition to mentor Santerre and teammate Pena, Moffitt is also looking forward to working with Dave McCarty, his new crew chief. McCarty has over 20 years experience in all kinds of racing, from the Nationwide Series to Trucks, ARCA, ASA and the K&N Pro Series East.

“Me and my new crew chief Dave McCarty have spent time getting to know each other,” Moffitt said. “Dave was Darrell Wallace’s crew chief last year at Revolution Racing. Andy felt like he would be a good match up for me so he brought him over.”

Moffitt has been working intensely on establishing that all important chemistry with his new crew chief, as well as their bond on and off the track.

“We’ve just been working together in the shop,” Moffitt said of his new crew chief. “He’s been bossing me around telling me what to do. I say ‘yes sir’ and do it. We have a lot of fun but when it’s time to get things done, we get things done.”

Owner Shigeaki Hattori, as well as HRE General Manager Andy Santerre are equally as excited about having Moffitt with their team as he is to race with them.

“People in an organization are the key to the organization’s success,” Hattori said. “If you hire the right people with knowledge and experience, success will follow.”

“I am excited to have Brett at HRE,” Santerre said. “He is an incredible driving talent and has matured behind the wheel in the last few years. He is more than capable of winning the championship.”

With the confidence of his owner and manager firmly in his corner, Moffitt simply cannot wait to get back to the race track, beginning at Bristol

“I feel like I’ve proven myself as being able to win races and be up front,” Moffitt said. “I’m just looking forward to racing. I love racing and being competitive.”

“That’s what drives me.”