Greg Biffle posted a qualifying lap speed of 192.955 MPH, earning himself the pole position for the Coke Zero 400 in his No. 16 Ford EcoBoost Ford. Biffle got shuffled back in the pack mid-race and just when he was making his move to the front “the big one” unfolded, collecting him and 21 other cars. Despite multiple pit stops for repairs, Biffle was able to earn an eighth-place finish.
“It was a rough night after we got in that wreck,” said Biffle. “We got shuffled out of line and that will happen with speedway racing. We were working our way back up and running with the No. 4 car and a few of those guys and somebody got turned right in the middle. I don’t know who. We got pretty severe damage and were able to come back and finish eighth. We had a pretty fast car and the No. 2 car was unbelievably fast. We have some work to do still but I am so proud of my guys. This Ford EcoBoost Fusion ran really well.”
Rain once again plagued the July 4th race weekend in Daytona for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Biffle made the best of shortened practice time and after not making a mock qualifying run in practice he still dominated qualifying on Friday. Biffle finished out round one first and ultimately claimed the pole by posting the fastest lap in round two of qualifying. The pole was his first since 2012 and gave the team the best pit stall on pit road.
Biffle led the field to the green flag in the outside lane, but as the first lap concluded the bottom line surged. The bottom line continued to prove strong, but Biffle remained in the top 10 until lap 60 when he got hung out and fell back through the field.
Just as Biffle made his move back towards the front a wreck unfolded in front of him and there was nowhere for him to go. Biffle was collected in “the big one” that involved a total of 22 cars. The damage to the right-side and rear of the No. 16 Ford EcoBoost Ford took multiple pit stops to repair, but luckily the team was able to keep Biffle on the lead lap.
As the race unfolded so did a few additional cautions. The final one set the field up for a green-white-checkered finish. Biffle restarted 16th in the outside line and was able to work his way up to cross the finish line eighth.
RFR PR
