CONCORD – Greg Biffle’s victory in Friday night’s Sprint Showdown kept a two and half decade streak alive for Roush Fenway Racing participating in Saturday night’s Sprint All-Star race, but contact with the wall twice voided any opportunity for the team to cash the 1 million dollar check.
Throughout practice on Friday at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway, Biffle showed speed in his No. 16 Ortho Ford Fusion. The 19-time Cup winner was able to capitalize on that speed by leading all 20 laps in the first of two segments Friday night.
The Spokane, Washington native showed that the speed wasn’t a fluke Saturday by qualifying second even with a mandatory pit stop.
But, when the green flag dropped, Biffle’s presence at the front would be short lived. Keeping his car wound up on the high side, Biffle creamed the wall on Lap 20 dropping him through the field.
As the end of segment 1 came to a conclusion, Biffle significantly hit the wall again ending any hope of a competitive finish.
If there’s good news to come out of Saturday’s activities at Charlotte, Roush Fenway Racing saw some light at the end of tunnel in their need to show speed and improvement on the racetrack. Biffle was fast, but the other Roush Fenway Racing cars of Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Trevor Bayne weren’t as quick.
It’s hard to say what Biffle and the No. 16 team would have been able to do if he didn’t clobber the wall, the speed they showed gives some positive footing towards next Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 where points are back on the line and winning is more than just about money.
A win in the longest race of the Sprint Cup Series season may be far-fetched for the Concord, North Carolina-based team, but a good run nonetheless would give the team some welcomed direction and confidence as the Sprint Cup Series summer stretch draws near.
Biffle, who has 12 starts in the 600, had his best finish to date with a second-place finish in 2008 after starting fourth.
Follow Chris Knight on Twitter @Knighter01.
