Biffle takes aim at third straight win, third different title

Sep 22, 2008 - 5:17 PM By Scott Serrano PA SportsTicker Auto Racing Editor

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Greg Biffle is looking for much more than just a third straight NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory.

Of course, accomplishing that feat would bring him a step closer to becoming the first driver to win a championship in all three of NASCAR's top series - Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Craftsman Trucks.

The "Biff" won the Truck series title in 2000, then followed that up by claiming the 2002 Busch series crown.

Biffle has been the talk of this year's "Chase for the Championship" after becoming the first driver to sweep the first two Chase races at New Hampshire and Dover.

On Sunday at the "Monster Mile," he raced fellow Roush Fenway Racing teammates Matt Kenseth and Carl Edwards down to the wire, passing Kenseth with eight laps remaining after a fender-banging duel on the 1-mile concrete oval.

"It was an exciting day, to say the least," a breathless Biffle said in Victory Lane.

Making the back-to-back feat even more exciting and remarkable is that Biffle had gone 33 races without visiting Victory Lane prior to starting his current improbable winning streak.

Ironically, his previous win before this year's Chase came at Kansas - the site of this upcoming weekend's race.

Now if Biffle can continue his winning ways and repeat at Kansas, he will move a step closer to winning the Sprint Cup and accomplishing the historic trifecta.

"You're not going to win this championship just by averaging fifth-place finishes," Biffle's crew chief, Greg Erwin, said. "This season's champion is going to have to win at least three of these Chase races."

Two down, one to go for Biffle - in more ways than one. And until he starts "losing," it's hard to count him out.

BUSCH BLOWS UP: The "Monster Mile" took perhaps a fatal bite out of Kyle Busch's championship hopes.

Busch, who entered the Chase as the top seed, had a blown engine knock him out of the race. He finished last following a 34th at New Hampshire to drop to 12th and last in the Chase field.

After dominating the Cup series throughout the regular season, Busch is now 210 points out with eight races remaining.

"Same thing happened two years ago - exact same thing," Busch said. "Wrecked at Loudon, blew up here. So, where did we end up- dead last.

"We're out of the title hunt. That's for sure. So we'll just manage what we can."

KENSETH STUCK IN NEUTRAL: You would think finishing second would help a driver make a major move up the Chase standings.

That was not the case for Matt Kenseth.

Even though he was the runner-up to Biffle at Dover, Kenseth gained a mere two spots to 10th in the standings.

Part of the problem was that he had a poor Chase opener at New Hampshire, where an accident forced him out of the race.

"The championship isn't really on my mind at this moment," Kenseth said.

JUST SAY NO: NASCAR is the latest major sporting body to implement random testing for substance abuse.

The racing organization announced Saturday it has amended its long-standing substance abuse policy to include random tests beginning in 2009. Penalties for violation of NASCAR's substance abuse policy will continue to be among the toughest in sports - immediate suspension from competition.

The amended policy mandates that all drivers in NASCAR's three national series - Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Craftsman Trucks - be tested prior to the start of the 2009 season. Team owners must also verify that all licensed crew members have been tested by a certified lab prior to the start of the season.

In addition, NASCAR will test its officials prior to the start of the 2009 season. Drivers, over-the-wall crew members and NASCAR officials thereafter will be subject to random tests throughout the year.

EARNHARDT JR. VS. KYLE BUSCH: Dale Earnhardt Jr. basically replaced Kyle Busch at Hendrick Motorsports. Busch thoroughly dominated the head-to-head matchup through the first 26 races, winning eight times to Earnhardt's one.

Now, here is how the two are faring during the Chase:

Earnhardt ran 24th at Dover after blowing a tire and dropped to ninth in the Chase standings, 118 points out of the lead.

Busch blew an engine at Dover and finished dead last. Entered the Chase with an 80-point lead atop the standings, but left the "Monster Mile" in 12th place and 210 points out of the lead.

Edge through second Chase race: Earnhardt by three car lengths.

SAY WHAT? "We're blowing up! We're blowing up! Woooooooooo hooooooooo!" - Kyle Busch over his radio as his engine blew.

GREEN-WHITE-CHECKERED FINISH: Ron Hornaday Jr. finished fifth at Las Vegas and pulled within a point of leader Johnny Benson in the Craftsman Truck Series standings. ... Nationwide series points leader Clint Bowyer finished 10th at Dover and saw his lead atop the standings shrink to 186 points over Carl Edwards. ... Michael Waltrip, yes Michael Waltrip, finished 10th at Dover. It was only his second top-10 finish this season, including his runner-up finish in the first New Hampshire race.

Feedback? E-mail scott.serrano@pa-sportsticker.com.