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Not only did Greg Biffle win his first race since 2010, crew chief Matt Puccia won his first race…period.

Just about every time Biffle opens his mouth to talk about his white-hot start, he credits Puccia. The praise makes sense. Their careers have taken similar paths.

Like Biffle, Puccia has worked his way up. Biffle started his NASCAR national series career in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, then graduated to the NASCAR Nationwide Series – winning a championship in each.

Puccia’s first job at Roush Fenway Racing was in 2006 as crew chief for the No. 50 team. In 2008, he led the No. 99 truck team with Erik Darnell to a victory at Michigan and a final points position of fourth. In 2009 he moved to the NASCAR Nationwide Series as crew chief for a partial schedule with Paul Menard before the team raced full time in 2010. Mid-season last year, he was promoted to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with Biffle.

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1 16 Greg Biffle Pure Michigan Ford 37.826 190.345
2 17 Matt Kenseth Kroger Ford 37.853 190.209
3 39 Ryan Newman WIX Filters Chevrolet 37.980 189.573
4 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Freight Toyota 38.036 189.294
5 5 Mark Martin CARQUEST / GoDaddy.com Chevrolet 38.057 189.190
6 2 Brad Keselowski Miller Lite Dodge 38.094 189.006
7 6 David Ragan UPS Ford 38.149 188.734
8 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. National Guard / AMP Energy Chevrolet 38.162 188.669
9 24 Jeff Gordon DuPont Chevrolet 38.176 188.600
10 1 Jamie McMurray Bass Pro Shops / Tracker Boats Chevrolet 38.204 188.462
11 27 Paul Menard Duracell / Menards Chevrolet 38.221 188.378
12 00 David Reutimann Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota 38.226 188.353
13 22 Kurt Busch Shell Pennzoil Dodge 38.251 188.230
14 4 Kasey Kahne Red Bull Toyota 38.275 188.112
15 56 Martin Truex Jr. NAPA Auto Parts Toyota 38.280 188.088
16 9 Marcos Ambrose Stanley Ford 38.286 188.058
17 18 Kyle Busch Interstate Batteries Toyota 38.297 188.004
18 14 Tony Stewart Mobil 1 / Office Depot Chevrolet 38.298 187.999

PODCAST: The Final Lap #170 – Chris Myers from Showtime’s Inside NASCAR

19 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe’s Chevrolet 38.344 187.774
20 21 Trevor Bayne (i) JDRF / Motorcraft / Quick Lane Ford 38.347 187.759

Continue reading “Michigan Cup Series Starting Lineup – Biffle on Pole”