Loose Wheel Leaves Biffle with 27th-Place Finish in Phoenix

Greg Biffle started the 312-lap race at Phoenix International Raceway from the 19th position in his No. 16 Ortho Ford Fusion.  Biffle advance all the way to 13th position, before a loose wheel late in the race put him one lap down.  In the closing laps Biffle was the “lucky dog” recipient and earned a 27th-place lead lap finish.

The No. 16 Ortho Ford was loose at the beginning of the race and especially loose at the start of long green flag runs.  Toward the end of long runs the Ortho Ford came around and Biffle was able to make up ground on competitors who had used up their tires

Wedge and air pressure adjustments were used throughout the race to help with handling, but restarts and the start of long green flag runs continued to be a challenge.  Despite the challenges Biffle was solidly on the lead lap. 

Just after a pit stop with a little over 50 laps remaining, Biffle reported to his crew that he had a loose wheel.  The unscheduled green flag stop to fix the loose wheel cost Biffle a lap to the leaders.  A closing lap caution made Biffle the “lucky dog” recipient and he was back on the lead lap.  With so few laps remaining Biffle was unable to make up ground on the field, resulting in the 27th-place finish.

RFR PR