Greg Biffle crossed the finish line eighth Sunday afternoon in his No. 16 3M Ford Fusion at Watkins Glen, surviving multiple cautions and red flags throughout the 90-lap road course race. Biffle started the race 28th, but hard driving, pit strategy and fuel saving at the end earned him a top-10 finish.
“The racing was really good,” said Biffle. “We were able to make up a lot of ground. It was aggressive and as people got more comfortable it got nuts. We went into the bus stop three-wide and that is pretty tough to do here two-wide. That is the first time in my career I have been in there three-wide. The car got the fender beat in a little bit and we got tight coming off the bus stop and got off the race track. Stuff happens. I hoped we could work our way back up. You just try to do the best you can and protect your position and race hard. That is about all you can do.”
Biffle started off the race with a Ford that was tight turning right and loose turning left. The first caution came just 10 laps into the race with Biffle sitting 24th in his 3M Ford. Knowing he’d lose more positions on the track without an adjustment, Biffle came down pit road for four tires and a wedge adjustment. Biffle drove his way into the top 10 with the fresh tires and chassis adjustment.
A multi-car accident on lap 55 brought out the red flag for guardrail repairs for over an hour. Biffle suffered minor damage in the on-track scuffle, but was able to continue on the teams planned pit strategy. Crew chief Matt Puccia made the call to stay out when pit road was open and told Biffle to start saving fuel.
The race ended with multiple cautions and another red flag, allowing Biffle to save enough fuel to make it to the end. Biffle held his ground in the top 10 as things got dicey on the track as the laps dwindled down. Biffle crossed the finish line eighth in his No. 16 3M Ford, the finish has him sitting 12th in the point standings.
RFR PR
