Biffle Takes Fourth Place Finish in 3M Ford Fusion at Bristol; Moves up to Eighth in Point Standings

Bristol, Tenn. (August 22, 2009) – With only three races left until the Chase, Greg Biffle and the 3M team went to Bristol knowing they had to make it count. Biffle qualified on the outside pole and took the lead in the 500-lap race on the first lap. He kept the lead for 76 laps before Mark Martin was able to get by but remained in the top 10 until around lap 175. At that point, the car's handling changed at Biffle began to lose positions. The crew worked on the car during every stop for the next 300 laps until the handling came around. Biffle made his way back into the top five on lap 464 and was running third during the final restart with four laps to go. As the outside line seemed to have the advantage all night, Biffle was vulnerable on the bottom row. Marcos Ambrose got by after the restart and Biffle took a fourth-place finish. The top-five finish moved Biffle up two positions to eighth in the standings.

After turning in the fifth-fastest time in Happy Hour, Biffle was ready for time trials.  He went out 31st and turned in the second-fastest lap of the day.  As Bristol was a two-day event, there would be no more practice before the race but the 3M team seemed confident.  Mark Martin took the pole and looked strong in practice but Biffle informed the media after qualifying that he had a car that could win the race.

As clouds loomed over Bristol Motor Speedway on a balmy Saturday night, the green flag dropped and Biffle took the lead.  Despite reporting that the car was a little tight in the center of the corners, he was able to maintain the lead until lap 78 when Martin made a successful pass.  Biffle informed the team that the car’s handling had worsened since the last pit stop on lap 65 and he began to lose positions.

Biffle had fallen back to 16th when a caution on lap 254 allowed him to pit for wedge, track bar and air pressure adjustments.  The crew picked up three positions in the pits and sent Biffle out 13th for the restart on lap 263.  The adjustments did the trick and he began making his way back into the top 10.  He was running 10th when the next caution came out on lap 355 and he pitted for minor track bar and air pressure adjustments to fine-tune the handling of the 3M Ford.  The crew picked up two positions this time and sent him out eighth for the restart.

During this run, Biffle reported that something seemed a little off with the feel of the car.  He had dropped back to 12th when rain brought out the yellow flag on lap 420.  He pitted for the final time on lap 422 for another round of track bar and air pressure adjustments.  The 3M pit crew again showed their skills as they picked up two positions in the pits.  Biffle restarted 10th on lap 431 and began a steady climb through the field.

Biffle had made his way up to fourth when Martin Truex, Jr. had a tire blow out on lap 479.  When the field restarted on lap 486, Biffle was on the outside of the second row and quickly got by Ambrose for third. Unfortunately another caution for rain came out on lap 491 and then eventually the red flag on lap 492.  The track was quickly dried but when the field restarted on lap 496, Biffle had the disadvantage on the bottom of the second row. 

Ambrose quickly got by on the outside after the restart and Biffle had little time to regain the position before the checkered flag.  Biffle held off Denny Hamlin in the closing laps for a fourth-place finish.

“We were just off a little bit, you know, but it was a good night,” said Biffle.  “This lane choice is just really terrible, the re-starts. Whoever’s on the outside just has a clear advantage. It’s too bad that that caution came out there at the end – we were going to finish third and might’ve had an opportunity to get up there. It’s too bad because Mark Martin probably would’ve won the race, but that’s racing, that’s the way it happens.”

Greg Biffle and the 3M team moved up to eighth in the Sprint Cup point standings following their fourth-place finish at Michigan.  They are 578 points behind leader Tony Stewart but only nine points behind Ryan Newman in seventh.  They hold a 75-point advantage on Kyle Busch in the 13th position. The 3M team will return to the track after a weekend off on Sunday, September 6th at Atlanta Motor Speedway.