Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Title will provide redemption for Biffle

FORT WORTH, Texas - When Greg Biffle takes the green flag next week at Texas Motor Speedway, he'll be virtually guaranteed the NASCAR truck series title.

There is little that could keep Biffle from a championship that will provide redemption after a disputed penalty cost him the 1999 title despite a record nine victories.

"We were probably more focused this year on the task of winning the championship because of last year," Biffle said. "The points deal was in the back of my mind."

With just two races left this year, including the O'Reilly 400 in Texas, Biffle has a 290-point lead over Mike Wallace and is 327 points ahead of Roush Racing teammate Kurt Busch.

Biffle wraps up the title by finishing 27th or better in Texas, or by just starting the last two races. The season finale is Oct. 28 at California Speedway.

After winning last year in Las Vegas, Biffle had a 130-point lead with three races to go. But during the post-race inspection NASCAR officials ruled that the intake manifold on his Ford was an unapproved part.

It is a part Biffle and team owner Jack Roush still contend had been approved by NASCAR. Biffle said the part was taken to NASCAR officials before it was first used on the truck early last season, and had been approved during inspections after earlier wins.

"What else could be done, how much more formal can we be about getting this approved the proper way?" Biffle said. "It made us look like cheaters, and it looks bad. That's not the way we do things."

Biffle's ninth victory of 1999 stood, but he was penalized 120 points and eventually lost the season title by eight to Jack Sprague.

"I came into the series, won rookie of the year, then the second year won the championship and came back the third year and defended my title," Biffle said. "That's a pretty good record to have ... but I'll never have that record."

His 1998 rookie title is safe, and he will move up to the NASCAR Busch Series next year, most likely with a truck title in hand.

While Biffle has won just five races this year, including the Pronto Auto Parts 400 at Texas Motor Speedway in June, he has finished in the top five in 17 of 21 races. He has 14 straight top-fives.

"Last year, we actually had a better year because it was kind of a breakthrough year for us as far as wins and how we performed each week," Biffle said. "But this year we've been definitely more consistent and really did what we needed to win the championship.

"It just boils down to consistency every week, being prepared and executing the same every weekend. That has got us where we're at right now."

So forget a drive for 27th place. Biffle is shooting for another win at Texas Motor Speedway, where he dominated the field in June.

Biffle led 119 of the 167 laps then, beating Wallace by 2.642 seconds. He also took over the points lead from Sprague, who was knocked out of the race by a wreck with 45 laps to go.

"I'll use the same truck, the same wheels, the same shocks, same brakes, the same springs, the same decals," Biffle said. "The truck was just unbelievable, I was clearly so much faster than the rest of the field, and I don't know why."

Next year, Biffle trades in his truck for a Busch car owned by Roush.

Biffle has signed a four-year deal with truck series sponsor Grainger that calls for two seasons on the Busch circuit before a planned move to Winston Cup in 2003. He wants to make that progression, rather than try to skip a step and move straight to the sport's highest level.

"I look at guys that have made that move and not been very successful. I don't want to be in that category," Biffle said. "I want to try to run every weekend in the top 20. That doesn't happen for a lot of guys coming into Winston Cup who are struggling just to make shows.

"If I can't do Winston Cup in 2003, then I'll come back and finish my career in the trucks or something where I can be competitive."

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