Biffle and Brewco Record
Top-Ten Finish in Thunder
Valley
BRISTOL, TN
(April 4)- Greg Biffle, driver
of the #66 SUBWAY® Ford,
started 14th and
finished 10th in
Sharpie Professional 250 at
Bristol Motor Speedway.
Despite a caution-filled race
that saw its fair share of
drama and controversy, Biffle
managed to stay out of trouble
and bring home the #66 Team
Brewco Ford with all four
fenders intact. As a result
of the top-ten finish, Team
Brewco #66 moved from 14th
to 12th in NASCAR
Busch Series owner's points.
You either love
it or you hate it- racing at
the "World's Fastest
Half-Mile" can make or break
your season in a mater of
seconds. Fortunately for Team
Brewco, Bristol Motor Speedway
ranks high on Greg Biffle's
list of favorites.
"I love racing
at Bristol- sure it can be
frustrating from time to time,
but you just have to keep
digging. Things happen really
fast here, and you have to be
on your toes. It's all about
give and take. You can't put
yourself in a position to get
knocked out of the way, if
someone is faster- it's in
your best interest to let them
by," added Biffle.
After
practicing consistently in the
top-three on Friday afternoon,
Team Brewco prepared the #66
SUBWAY® Ford for qualifying on
Saturday morning.
Unfortunately, as nature would
have it, all NASCAR Busch
Series action would be
postponed until Monday
morning, due to inclement
weather. Per the 2005 rule
book, the starting line-up was
set by current owner's
points. "Everyone here wants
to get this race in today, but
what can we do. We have to
play the hand that's dealt to
us. The worst part about it
is that we didn't get a chance
to qualify. This car is
really strong, and we could
have used the track position,
but we will use our heads and
work our way to the front in
no time," Biffle added after
securing the 14th
place starting position for
Saturday's rain-delayed event.
While Team
Brewco enjoyed a relaxing day
off in the Great Smokey
Mountains, their driver was
busy competing in Sunday's
five hundred lap Nextel Cup
race. Reunited on Monday
morning, the group anxiously
awaited the start of the
Sharpie Professional 250.
"It's always a little weird
racing on Monday. In this
sport, you live by schedules,
so any time there is a change;
it kind of throws you a
curve. Nevertheless, once the
green flag drops it doesn't
matter what day it is," Biffle
said prior to the 10:30am
start.
At the drop of
the green flag, Greg Biffle
wasted little time charging to
the front of the field. By
lap thirty, the 2002 Busch
Series champion, broke into
the top-ten. When asked how
his car was handling, Biffle
radioed, "It's a little tight
right now, not bad though. I
can't believe how slick the
track is."
By lap
seventy-eight, Biffle had
worked his way into the
top-five and showed no signs
of letting up. Team Brewco
made their first stop of the
day on lap eighty. Crew chief
Newt Moore made the call to
adjust right side air
pressures to help free up the
#66 SUBWAY® Ford. Biffle
would return to racing action
in 10th place, as a
handful of cars elected not to
pit.
Consistently,
the fastest car on the track,
Biffle patiently worked his
way back through the field.
Unfortunately, a race plagued
by cautions would soon
unfold. Team Brewco would
make their final stop of the
day on lap one hundred and
sixty-seven. In eleventh and
out nineteenth, the stage was
set for a dramatic finish.
With newer tires than the
majority of the field, Team
Brewco crossed their fingers
for a long green flag run.
However, as luck would have
it, a series of cautions would
severely impede his progress.
Not wanting to damage his car
and ultimately save it for
another day, Biffle settled
for a top-ten finish.
"That was one
of the wildest races I have
seen in a while. Between
lapped cars and aggressive
drivers, we were lucky to run
any green flag laps. We
played the right strategy
today, and I wouldn't change a
thing. We had new tires on
late in the race, and had a
significant advantage over
most of the other guys. All
we needed was a long green
flag run, and I think we would
have had a shot. But in the
big picture, this car is too
good to beat and bang with,
we'll take it somewhere else
and really show our stuff,"
Biffle said after posting his
fourth top-ten finish of 2005.
After seven
long weeks on the road, Team
Brewco gets a well-deserved
weekend off. Next up, Team
Brewco #66 heads to Texas
Motor Speedway for the
O'Reilly 300 on Saturday,
April 16th. Fox
and MRN will provide live
coverage of the event
beginning at 2:00pm ET.
