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Loudon II: Biffle - Friday media visit

Greg Biffle, driver of the No. 16 3M Ford Fusion, are in the seventh position in the new Chase standings heading into the first Chase race of 2010 this weekend. The No. 16 is 50 points behind leader Denny Hamlin and have a 10-point lead over ...

Greg Biffle, driver of the No. 16 3M Ford Fusion, are in the seventh position in the new Chase standings heading into the first Chase race of 2010 this weekend. The No. 16 is 50 points behind leader Denny Hamlin and have a 10-point lead over positions eight through 12. Biffle's first Cup Series start came at New Hampshire in 2002 when he drove the No. 55 car owned by Andy Petree. Biffle took time to talk to media members Friday about his car this weekend and his Chase prospects.

YOU GOT OUT OF THE CHUTE REALLY QUICK HERE A FEW YEARS AGO AND WON THE FIRST TWO RACES IN THE CHASE. CAN YOU DO THAT AGAIN? "I think we are capable of doing it again. We came of the truck pretty decent and kept picking up speed. We switched over the qualifying trim and the car was real good. We got some ideas going back to race trim what we will try a little different for tomorrow. I think we have as good a chance as anybody to win here Sunday."

YOU HAVE THREE ROUSH CARS IN THE CHASE AND THEN DAVID RAGAN. DOES HE BECOME THE TEST BED ESSENTIALLY FOR THE COMPANY DURING THESE FINAL 10 AND WHAT YOU GET OUT OF HIM; CAN IT BE AS RELIABLE AS WHAT YOU GET FROM MATT AND CARL? "David's performance has picked up tremendously since we changed this front suspension. Maybe if there are engine things or stuff like that they they might try. The other thing we have are the four RPM cars. We've got those guys over there that can be trying things. They are the same cars and same engines, same everything. We are looking at those guys to help us a little bit. I think it is kind of a collective effort between the whole organization, both RPM and our side."

IS DOVER ONE OF THE TRACKS THAT COULD SURPRISE FOLKS AS FAR AS MINDING YOUR P'S AND Q'S AND SECONDLY, AT KANSAS, HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR INTERMEDIATE TRACK STUFF? "I feel really strong about our mile-and-a-half program. We were really good at Michigan, Pocono and Kansas. We were good in Indy and Chicago. All those places we were super fast and it felt like the cars were driving well. Dover is one of my favorite places to go. I have a couple wins there and a bunch of top-fives. I am looking forward to going back there. This weekend, so far so good. The car is pretty decent. I think we ended up in the top-10 in practice there. Hopefully grab a top-10 qualifying spot. I think we have the same opportunity as all these guys here this weekend."

WITH STRONG TEAM TIES TO BOSTON, CAN YOU TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE FUN STUFF YOU HAVE DONE HERE, DRIVING THE DUCK, WORKING A DUNKIN DONUTS DRIVE THROUGH? "Yeah, I have had a lot of fun so far. They told us we were going on a duck tour and I was thinking I have seen a lot of ducks in my life. I wasn't sure what we would be looking at. Come to find out it is a vehicle that takes you around Boston. Then the vehicle goes in the water as well. I learned a lot. I found out what a duck tour was and I recommend it highly for people that get an opportunity. It handled great, but not very fast so don't be in a hurry to get anywhere. This morning, if any of you stopped by Dunkin' Donuts I was working the drive thru. I stopped to get some coffee and I got behind there and packaged up some donuts and made some coffee. Being partners with Fenway sports group based in this area allowed us to have a lot of fun in the area. I got some free coffee out of the deal which is what I was mainly interested in. It was a lot of fun."

DOES THIS CHASE SET ITSELF UP TO BE DIFFERENT IN THAT NOBODY COMES IN WITH ANY TRUE MOMENTUM AND COULD THIS BE THE CHASE THAT 11 PEOPLE LOSE? "Yeah, it really does. A lot of people have asked me who my pick is or who the favorite is besides me. You have to put all the names in a basket and draw one out because it is a lottery draw at this point to me. I couldn't pick one guy over the other for who I think is going to win this thing. It is as close as I have ever seen it competition wise. You look at the speed charts on the weekend and where everybody is running, it is going to be like that for 10 weeks. I think it is going to be the guy that has the least amount of mistakes or the least amount of damage. Damage control on the race track will be a big part. The guy that salvages a 13th place finish somewhere where things are going bad, versus finishing 23rd or worse is what is going to be the guy that wins it. The guy that can minimize the down side versus winning four or five of these things."

SIMPLE THINGS LIKE A LUG NUT AT TEXAS, WHICH COST YOU A CHAMPIONSHIP. COULD IT COME DOWN TO SOMETHING LIKE THAT? "Yeah, definitely. It could come down to a pit stop. In Atlanta we got a lug nut behind the wheel and we went from running fifth to the back of the pack and then got in an accident. Any of those things can happen. Texas in 2005 I had a loose wheel and lost a lap when I came in and there were no more cautions. There can be heart break as well. That is the damage I talked about on the downside. The guy that minimizes that, a guy that gets a flat, comes in, gets a lucky dog and finishes 13th. That is the kind of championship caliber drive it is going to take."

SOME OF THE DRIVERS HAVE SAID THAT YOU CAN'T WIN THE CHAMPIONSHIP HERE AND YOU CAN'T LOSE IT HERE. IF YOU SUBSCRIBE TO THAT THEORY, WHEN DOES THIS CHASE REALLY START IN YOUR MIND? "I think that we all have our own opinion about it. My opinion is that you can lose the championship here. This race. If you do something boneheaded and back into a fence and finish 38th or 40th then you have a ways to go. I think that come Homestead, you lose it by 35, 40 or 50 points, you could say 'Well, I made a mistake at Loudon and that was the race that cost it.' We tend to look at the later races. For instance, the 39 not getting in to the Chase because he didn't run well enough at Richmond. What about in the middle of the season when he did whatever? That one race cost him a chance to be in the Chase. You can pick any one of these 10 and say that it was the reason why you didn't win the championship. It can't be won here either. I won the first two in 2008 and I finished third in points. It can't be won here, but you can certainly lose it."

-source: ford racing

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