Is Greg Biffle A Championship Contender?
What Happened To Joey Logano In His Sprint Cup Debut?
Sep 15, 2008
Jimmie Johnson led the most laps, 96 to be precise, but it was Biffle who muscled his way around the two-time champion with eleven laps remaining.
“I don’t want to brag, but it was a textbook pass. I got in the corner good. I got after the throttle early,” said the victorious driver after winning his first race of the 2008 season.
This was the first time since Kurt Busch won at the very same track way back in June in which a driver other than Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, or Jimmie Johnson scored the victory.
Biffle is 30 points behind Jimmie Johnson and Carl Edwards, who are in a virtual tie for the first spot in the championship standings.
Kyle Busch finished twelve laps off the pace in the 34th position after a bizarre mechanical failure. Busch dominated the championship standings throughout the season, but he currently sits in the eighth position, 74 points behind Johnson and Edwards. The deficit is certainly not insurmountable; however, Edwards and Johnson appear to be at the top of their game, and Biffle and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. appear to be making gains as well.
Is Greg Biffle a serious championship contender? He most certainly is. Even prior to his victory at New Hampshire, Biffle had been performing at a high level. He was among several household names that had yet to visit the winner’s circle in 2008, but he was on the threshold, and he finally crossed it on Sunday. Biffle is a driver capable of winning three or four races in the Chase for the Championship. It has been a season of streaks. Edwards, Busch, and Johnson, and even Kasey Kahne have enjoyed hot streaks throughout the season. Perhaps it is Biffle’s turn to dominate the headlines.
Joey Logano, a.k.a. sliced bread, was more like burned toast at New Hampshire in his Sprint Cup debut. Logano, hailed as the next superstar of NASCAR, has performed respectably in the Nationwide Series in comparison to his lofty expectations. Of course, many would argue that he drives for the premier team in that series. Reality set in for the 18-year-old kid on Sunday when he faced off against 42 of the world’s best stock drivers. He made typical rookie mistakes, and was lapped long before the race’s halfway point. He finished three laps down in the 32nd position.
This is not a reflection of his talent. Clearly, Logano is a talented young driver, but too much hype was built around his debut. He virtually overshadowed several of the Chase for the Championship contenders. The hype and elevated expectations are unfair to Logano, and he should have received that same amount of attention and expectations as other rookie drivers making their Sprint Cup debut. Does anyone, other than Michael Waltrip and Petty fanatics, remember where Michael McDowell or Chad McCumbee finished in their Sprint Cup debut? Didn’t think so.
Quote of the week
Greg Biffle on winning as the darkhorse
"Finally we've gotten on to something that works here. When we started the race, my car was perfect. The horse rode today, didn't it?"
