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  Greg Biffle
Car number: 16 • Manufacturer: Ford • Sponsor: Army National Guard
Owner: Jack Roush • Team: Roush Racing • Crew Chief: Doug Richert

Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images
2005 Season
Final Points Standing2nd
After First 26 Races2nd
Earnings$8,354,052
Starts36
Poles0
Wins6
Top 515
6-106
Laps Led1,322
Lead Lap Finishes28
Bonus Points155
Races Led27
2005 Performance
Below is the ranking of the team on each type of track along with the driver's best finish.
Track TypeRanking
Flat Tracks10th
Best Finish 2nd, Phoenix
Intermediate Tracks1st
Best Finish 1st, California, Darlington, Dover, Homestead, Michigan, Texas
Plate Tracks26th
Best Finish 13th, Talladega
Road Courses24th
Best Finish 14th, Infineon
Short Tracks4th
Best Finish 3rd, Bristol, Richmond
2006 Spin
Greg Biffle came up 35 points shy of completing the NASCAR trifecta last season. The 2000 Craftsman Truck Series and 2002 Busch Series champ's hopes were dashed at Texas Motor Speedway in November when loose lug nuts forced Biffle, who was leading the Dickies 500 at the time, to pit. It was a setback he could not recover from, finishing 20th.

Biffle closed the season with a win at Homestead, but it can be argued that 2005 Cup champ Tony Stewart, who finished 15th, was points-racing and could have defeated Biffle head-to-head if need be. Hindsight aside, Biffle will return in '06 with a team that has been in the thick of a Cup chase and possesses all of the resources that are needed to win.

The National Guard team's ace in the hole is its performance on the intermediate tracks. Biffle finished the '05 campaign with six victories on the big ovals and beat chief rival Stewart head-to-head in all but three intermediate events. Take into account that 16 of the circuit's 36 points-paying races are held at these venues — with six in the Chase alone — and it becomes quite clear why Biffle is the 2006 favorite to take home his first Cup.

Team owner Jack Roush's support should not be understated, either. Roush has not only given Biffle his big shot, but he has also poured the necessary resources into keeping the organization at the top. With the right technology, teammates and talent, this title is Biffle's to lose.


2006 Recap
The National Guard team came out with guns a-blazin' in 2005. Greg Biffle won five of the first 15 events, a feat accomplished by only seven other drivers in the modern era, and he dominated at the intermediates from the word go.

A midseason swoon looked imminent as Biffle left the July Daytona event knocked out of the points lead, the result of a 36th-place finish. In the six races from Daytona to Watkins Glen, Biffle averaged a 21st-place finish and found himself third in the point standings, 252 markers back. From that point until the start of the Chase, the team recovered nicely, averaging a top 4 finish and jumping back into second as the Chase began.

The road was a rocky one from there, as Biffle suffered from three finishes of 20th or worse — the last being the Texas event that ultimately ruined his title hopes. The team never folded, though, and gave Biffle the car he needed to win Homestead in the season's finale and secure that sixth win.

The Good: Earning 50 bonus points during the Chase by leading in nine of the 10 events. The 50 points tied for the most among all drivers in the Chase.

The Bad: GregBiffle's luck at the plate races. His only finish without damage was the spring Talladega event, when he finished 13th.

The Ugly: The two spins at Texas while trying to make up lost time for the loose lugs. This was a rare driver meltdown for a team that finished second in the final standings.


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