hasn't been talked about that much in the buzz leading up to NASCAR's
Sprint Cup Chase for the Championship. Some might say he was "The
Forgotten Man." Not anymore. Biffle won Sunday.
He made the top 12 with an up-and-down season and started getting up
to form in the races leading up to Sunday's Sylvania 300 at New
Hampshire Motor Speedway.
On Sunday, he grabbed his first victory since last year at Kansas
Speedway, the 13th of his Sprint Cup career. Biffle passed two-time
champion Jimmie Johnson with 11 laps remaining and held Johnson off
for the win.
Carl Edwards was third, Jeff Burton fourth and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
placed fifth. Rounding out the top 10 were Kurt Busch, Martin Truex
Jr., Tony Stewart, Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick.
Eight of Sunday's top 10 finishers are eligible for the championship.
Pre-race favorite Kyle Busch had a terrible day and wound up numerous
laps behind in 34th position. A series of mishaps ruined his day.
Former champion Matt Kenseth also had a miserable day, the victim of a
multi-car crash that stopped the race for 10 minutes or so after 220
of the 300 laps had been completed. Kenseth wound up 40th. The red
flag waved while officials cleaned up debris from the 220th lap
accident.
The crash started when former Indy winner Sam Hornish Jr. ran out of
room on the bottom of the track and bumped Kyle Petty, triggering a
melee that also involved Casey Mears, David Gilliland, Kyle Busch, and
Kenseth.
Jeff Gordon, a four-time champion, wound up 14th and Clint Bowyer,
another Chase driver, was 12th.
Edwards showed what he had pretty early, zipping to the front on the
eighth lap.
Points leader Busch suffered a sway bar problem and dropped back in
the field. His crew fixed his car when NASCAR called a competition
caution at lap 35 to allow the teams adjustments.
The track was very green at the start after a drenching overnight rain.
Edwards still led on the restart at lap 44. Stewart, Johnson, Kurt
Busch and Hamlin were in the top five.
The younger Busch, a favorite to win his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Chase
for the Championship after pacing the field through its first 26
races, had dropped to 43rd position by the time his crew fixed his
problem. Busch didn't help himself when he passed several cars when
coming into the pits, which cost him a lap. Busch had eight wins and
a 30-point lead as the first race of this year's Chase unfolded.
Johnson took the lead from Edwards on the 65th lap and Stewart moved
up to second.
On lap 84, Busch lost control out of turn two, spun and was hit by
Jamie McMurray, which pretty much ended Busch's chances for the day.
David Ragan also spun after being hit in the rear during the accident.
Johnson still led on the restart, with Earnhardt right behind him, but
Earnhardt took over shortly.
At 150 laps (halfway), it was Earnhardt, Biffle, Johnson, Kurt Busch,
Hamlin, Burton, Edwards, Montoya, Bowyer and Truex Jr.
No comments:
Post a Comment