HOW WORRIED IS POINT LEADER GREG BIFFLE ABOUT HIS CURRENT 49-RACE WINLESS STREAK?

on April 13, 2012April 13, 2012

By: Toby Christie – Follow on Twitter @Tobalical

Greg Biffle hasn’t won in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series since Kansas in the fall of 2010 (49 races ago), but Friday Biffle mentioned that he likes his chances at finding victory lane in the coming weeks.

“Any time is a good time to win a race. These are some good opportunities for us in Texas and Kansas which are two great tracks for us,” Biffle said during his weekly press conference. “We ran, in our standards, fairly well at Martinsville being top-10 most of the day. Unfortunately there at the end with the 10 car and the way the cautions fell and the lucky dog we ended up 13th. This is a race track and we have a great lineup all the way through Darlington and Dover, all these race tracks, that we think we can win at. It is important for us to win. We are trying and we were off a little bit at Vegas. Hopefully we will be on the money here.”

Biffle has come on like gang-busters since the 2012 season began, and it caught most of us by surprise after his lackluster 2011 effort. Through six races in 2012 he has an average finish of 6.8 — his average finish in 2011? 16.8. Matt Puccia has become an unsung hero at crew chief, and he is seemingly the only change on the No. 16 team since last season. Biffle has no worries just yet of reaching victory lane, but how much longer can he go before he starts to get nervous about not finding victory lane?

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MARK MARTIN FASTEST IN FIRST TEXAS SPRINT CUP PRACTICE, BUT WHY MIGHT THAT BE BAD NEWS?

on April 12, 2012April 13, 2012

Fans get a glimpse of Mark Martin's Toyota during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Samsung Mobile 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on April 12, 2012 in Fort Worth, Texas. Photo Credit: John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR

By: Toby Christie – Follow on Twitter @Tobalical

Mark Martin has unloaded fast this week in Texas, and his Michael Waltrip Racing team continues to roll. Martin paced the first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice session of the week Thursday evening with a lap of 189.427 mph.

Greg Biffle, Kevin Harvick, A.J. Allmendinger and Regan Smith rounded out the top-five fastest in this practice session.

The No. 55 car that Martin shares with Brian Vickers and Michael Waltrip sits ninth in Sprint Cup Series owner points, and all three of the Michael Waltrip Racing team cars rank inside the top-10 of the owner point standings.

Is it time for Martin – the oldest driver that will compete Saturday night at age 53 – to roll back into victory lane? Maybe, but don’t crown him the champion of the Samsung Mobile 500 just yet.

Why you ask? Well we are six races into the 2012 season, and did you know that no driver who has paced the first practice session of a weekend has gone on to win a race? In fact in 2012, the guy who unloads the fastest off the truck has an average finish of 15.5 so far. Can Martin buck the trend? Find out Saturday evening in the Samsung Mobile 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.

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They Said What? — Harvick Feels Sorry For Jr., Dale Jr. Is Not Nostradamus, And Danica Is Ron Burgandy?

on April 12, 2012April 12, 2012

Kevin Harvick Passes Dale Earnhardt, Jr. At Richmond in 2011. Photo Credit: Tom Pennington/Getty Images

By: Toby Christie – Follow on Twitter @Tobalical

Thursday was round one of driver media press conferences, and there was a lot to be said despite the fact that there was absolutely no racing last weekend. Here are some of the interesting tidbits from the day:

HARVICK FEELS SORRY FOR JR.

Much has been made of Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s extended 135-race winless streak. Since June of 2008 – nearly four years ago – NASCAR’s most popular driver has been shut out of victory lane. If you feel sorry for him, consider yourself in the same boat as Kevin Harvick.

In his sit-down with the media Harvick was asked about Earnhardt’s losing skid, and he had an interesting response.

“We went through it (a winless streak) at right at 100 races. Over the last few years we’ve been fortunate to have the success that we’ve had. But just to live in his shoes on a daily – or weekly – basis and answer some of the goofy-ass questions you guys ask is one thing in itself. But to have to answer those questions and to constantly have to live up with them — and he’s running good. You know I mean that’s the good thing about it, you don’t have to answer near as – dodge near as much as you did before now that you’re running in the top-five every week.

Continue reading “They Said What? — Harvick Feels Sorry For Jr., Dale Jr. Is Not Nostradamus, And Danica Is Ron Burgandy?”

NASCAR News

on January 1, 2000February 12, 2019

January 29, 2019