Biffle Finishes Fifth at Watkins Glen; Jumps to 10th in Point Standings

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (August 11, 2009) – Before this weekend, Greg Biffle’s best Sprint Cup finish at Watkins Glen International was a 10th place effort in 2007.  Biffle bested that by five spots during Monday’s rain-delayed event, finishing fifth.  With just four races left to clinch a spot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, Biffle and the 3M team moved up two spots in points to 10th, 91 points ahead of 13th place. 

The field was seconds away from getting the command to start engines Sunday afternoon when heavy rain hit the track.  The weather showed no signs of clearing and after a delay of more than two hours, NASCAR officials postponed the race until Monday.  For the second-straight week, Biffle and the 3M team would have to wait an extra day to take the green flag. 

When the race finally began, the 3M Ford Fusion rolled off in seventh place.  Biffle quickly dropped to eighth, telling crew chief Greg Erwin that he was “loose both ways.”  He was still eighth when the first caution came out on lap 18.  Erwin called Biffle in for four tires and a track bar adjustment.  The change seemed to help as Biffle moved up to fourth on the next run. 

The 3M Ford Fusion was still fourth when green flag pit stops began on lap 49.  Biffle told the team he was “still just a little loose.”  With a close eye on their fuel window, Erwin called Biffle down pit road on lap 55 for four tires and a small track bar adjustment.  The field cycled through and Biffle was back running fifth on lap 60.  Erwin told Biffle they would be two laps short on fuel if there were no more cautions and asked his driver to save as much fuel as possible. 

The 3M team caught the break they needed when the caution came out on lap 62.  The field was red-flagged for about 30 minutes for cleanup before going back to green.  Biffle restarted fifth with 24 laps remaining and was shown as high as third on the final run.  The 3M Ford Fusion looked poised for a podium finish, but Biffle’s fuel pressure light came on during the final few laps.  Biffle lost two spots while trying to save fuel and crossed the stripe fifth; the seventh top-five for the 3M team this season.

“That was a really good day for the 3M Ford Fusion,” said Biffle, “The guys did a great job on pit road. We had great pit strategy. Our engine ran good, our transmission shifted really good and our brakes held on. It was unfortunate – I started running out of fuel toward the end, so I had to let the 18 go, that was the hardest thing, and just stay in front of the 42. That was really hard. I had a really fast car – it was a good day for us, a good top-five in points, and we’re going to some race tracks where we feel like we can win, and hopefully lock ourselves into this Chase.”