NASCAR notes: Biffle needs breakthrough at Martinsville
Greg Biffle goes to Martinsville Speedway this weekend second in NASCAR Sprint Cup points, knowing that he needs to improve at the track to be considered a serious championship threat.
Three years ago, Biffle finished 20th at Martinsville during the Chase. He lost the title to Tony Stewart by 35 points. Stewart finished second that day, outscoring Biffle by 72 points.
"If I would have gotten a 10th at Martinsville, I would have won the title,'' Biffle said Wednesday during a conference call with reporters.
Biffle has struggled at the historic half-mile track, which again will be a part of the Chase in October. His seventh-place finish there last fall was his best result in 10 starts.
Biffle said he was excited just to be bumping winner Jimmie Johnson's rear bumper during last fall's race, calling it the highlight of his runs at Martinsville.
"That was certainly a confidence-builder for me personally,'' said Biffle, who trails Kyle Busch by 30 points in the series standings. "If I can't run in the top 10 consistently at Martinsville, it's going to be tough to win a Sprint Cup title. I felt like the last time we were there that we were capable now as a team and as a car and as a driver to compete in the top 10, so we just need to go back and do that again."
SPECIAL TRAINING: Many drivers work out weekly to prepare for races, but Ryan Newman takes a different approach.
"I cut back on the cookies; I cut down to like five a day,'' he said with a smile. "It's definitely more physical, but ... we're still sitting in the easy chairs if you ask me. You have to be in physical shape, don't get me wrong. But I've not lifted a single piece of iron or pumped any metal or did any push-ups or sit-ups the entire year. I'm not in Mark Martin shape, but I don't think that I'm giving up anything sitting in the car on lap 499. I'm just as strong as I am in the beginning.''
STILL LOOKING: Yates Racing continues to search for full-time sponsors for David Gilliland (22nd in points) and Travis Kvapil (28th).
"It's not something you can just pick up the phone and call somebody,'' co-owner Max Jones said, "but there's a lot of excitement around it, and us running well has helped that.''
Gilliland is coming off a ninth-place finish two weeks ago at Bristol.
TV RATINGS UP: Fox reported that viewership and ratings for Cup races are up compared to a year ago. The network said telecasts are averaging 12.1 million viewers, a 7 percent increase from last season.
NEW FACES: Gene Nead, who had been the crew chief with the Wood Brothers, is back with Bill Davis Racing and will lead the team's research and development program. The team also has added engineer Allen Hart from Penske Racing. ... Bobby Kennedy and Paul Andrews have swapped jobs at Michael Waltrip Racing. Kennedy has become Waltrip's crew chief; Andrews will lead the test team.
LAWSUIT: Vanguard Integrity Professionals is suing Robby Gordon in U.S. District Court in California in an attempt to remove its logos from his uniforms and equipment and get back $1.15 million. Vanguard was to have been one of Gordon's sponsors for the Dakar Rally, but the race was canceled because of terrorist threats.
CAMEO APPEARANCE: Tony Stewart will wave the green flag when racing returns to Rockingham for the Carolina 500 ARCA race on May 4. Stewart's crew chief, Greg Zipadelli, will drive the pace car.
PIT STOPS: Matt Kenseth's average finish at Martinsville is 15.6, but he scored top-10 runs in both of last year's races. ... Denny Hamlin has finished outside the top 10 once in five Martinsville races. ... Dale Earnhardt Jr. will use the same car this weekend that he drove to a fifth-place finish two weeks ago at Bristol. ... Kasey Kahne will make his 150th career Cup start Sunday. ... Jeff Gordon has finished outside the top 12 at Martinsville three times in 30 races there. ... Kyle Busch is the only driver to have led at least one lap in every race this season.
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