With the looming departure of Ameriquest as the sponsor of the #16 Ford, is Greg Biffle the odd-man out at Roush Fenway Racing?
The writing may be on the wall for Greg Biffle.
After the 2009 season, NASCAR will no longer permit more than four teams in a stable, and Roush Fenway Racing has five. Ever since this new regulation was announced two years ago, it was unclear as to which team in the Roush Fenway stable would be the one to disband. Now, it appears that we have our answer.
When Biffle's previous sponsor National Guard opted to endorse the younger and more marketable Casey Mears at Hendrick Motorsports, Ameriquest stepped in as the primary sponsor for the 16 team. In fact, they signed a three-year deal to be represented by the 11-time NASCAR Nextel Cup winner. However, due to a recent turn of events in the corporate world, they have decided to back out of the final two years of their deal with Roush Fenway Racing. As of now, the 16 team is sponsor-less for the 2008 season.
With the new four-time limit that NASCAR will execute in 2009, what would be the point in sponsor hunting? What company would sign a one-year deal to endorse a driver? Unless Jack Roush is sure that he would be able to sell the team and sponsor package to a rival team, it would not make much sense. So that puts Biffle's future up in the air.
Despite being one of the most frequent winners in NASCAR Nextel Cup racing over the past three seasons, it is no surprise that Biffle is the guy that will have to find a new home. After all, Matt Kenseth is the 2003 champion so he is the star of the organization, Carl Edwards is the likeable and marketable young gun, and too much has been invested in Jamie McMurray and David Ragan.
Biffle will not stay on the market for too long. He may not be a young gun or Mr. Marketable, but he is an incredible talent. Toyota would likely pursue the 2002 NASCAR Busch Series champion considering that they are in need of a star driver. It will be interesting to see if Biffle becomes the first domino to fall in silly season 2007.
