Cup Series
Biffle attempted his Cup Series debut by trying to qualify a Roush Ford for the 2002 Daytona 500 but failed to make the race. He would make his first Cup start for Roush nine races later at California and he scored 13th place finish in that race was his best finish in seven 2002 races as he also drove four races in a Chevrolet for Andy Petree Racing and two in a Dodge for Petty Enterprises.
Biffle began competing full-time in NASCAR's top division in 2003, with sponsorship from W. W. Grainger, who had previously sponsored him in his Busch and Truck Series rides. He earned his first win in the Pepsi 400 at Daytona that season and finished second to Jamie McMurray (who would later join him as a teammate at Roush) for Raybestos Rookie of the Year. Biffle placed 20th in the final points standings.
Biffle made an immediate impact in his sophomore season in 2004, earning the pole in the Daytona 500. Despite missing NASCAR's first-ever Chase for the NEXTEL Cup, Biffle won twice that season, at Michigan and Homestead en route to a 17th place finish in the final points standings.
2005 was Biffle's breakout season. He won six races, the most of any driver that year, and qualified for the Chase for the first time in his career. He won at California Speedway. Texas, Darlington,Dover and Michigan along with the season finale at Homestead to finish second in the standings, 35 points behind champion Tony Stewart (Biffle tied with teammate Carl Edwards in points but won the tie-breaker based on race wins).
Biffle regressed in 2006, missing the Chase for the Cup despite winning twice, at Darlington Raceway and Homestead-Miami Speedway (both of which were tracks at which he had also won in the previous season). He finished 13th in the standings, third-best of the drivers not to qualify for the Chase. He also missed the Chase the following year, in a season marred by the #16 team's new primary sponsor Ameriquest Mortgage suffering financial difficulty and having to sell off a number of its race sponsorships. Biffle won just once in 2007, at Kansas Speedway, and finished 14th in the standings, second-best of the non-Chase drivers as the Chase expanded to a 12-driver format that year.
In June 2008, Biffle signed a 3-year contract extension with Roush Fenway Racing. Despite going winless during the 26-race regular season, Biffle made for the Chase for the Sprint Cup that year and won the first two Chase races, at New Hampshire and Dover. In doing so, he became the first driver to win the first two Chase races in a season.
Biffle qualified for the Chase for the second year in a row in 2009 but, for the first time since 2002 (when he ran a limited schedule), failed to record a win. During a test in January 2009 Biffle managed to reach 218 miles per hour (351 km/h) in a test for Roush Fenway Racing as part of evading NASCAR's testing ban. This became the fastest time ever achieved on this track by any competitor (amateur or professional).
In 2010 Biffle qualified for the third year in a row for the Chase despite spotty performance in the regular season. He won twice at Pocono and Kansas. For 2011, Biffle's season improved, thanks in part to the implementation of Ford's new FR9 engine. However, crew chief Greg Erwin was replaced after Kentucky by Matt Puccia. The addition of Puccia helped Biffle's performance late in the season, despite the team missing the Chase and finishing 16th in points. Biffle missed the chase in 2011 for the first time since 2007.
In 2012 Biffle and Puccia remained at RFR, and gained the points lead after Las Vegas after three consecutive third place finishes. Eerily, the third place at Vegas came in Biffle's 333rd Cup start. Biffle's first win of the 2012 season came at Texas Motor Speedway in the Samsung Mobile 500 after passing Jimmie Johnson with 30 laps left in the race.
In 2012 Biffle won at Michigan holding off Brad Keselowski after Jimmie Johnson blew an engine and was ordered to the garage. Biffle was disappointed that he could not race Johnson to the finish but was very emotional about his win.
Read more about this topic: Greg Biffle, Racing Career
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“In poorer lands
No one touches the water of life.
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And though it refreshes absolutely
It is a cup that must also pass
Until everybody
Gets some advantage....”
—John Ashbery (b. 1927)
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