Biffle takes big step toward Busch Series title

CONCORD, N.C. -- Greg Biffle is the only Roush Racing driver to ever win a championship. Saturday at Lowe's Motor Speedway, he took a huge step in the quest to get another one.

	Greg Biffle's No. 60 Ford has 21 top-10 finishes in 29 starts. Credit: Autostock

While the rest of the top five suffered debilitating setbacks, Biffle fought through his own taxing afternoon to finish sixth in the Little Trees 300. His perseverance paid off big, as he extended his points lead by 41 points, despite one stretch where he could hardly see out his oil-laden windshield.

Biffle entered the weekend 127 points up on Jason Keller, but Saturday extended that advantage to 168 points.

"We gave away the race," Biffle said. "We made the adjustments, but the windshield got plastered. I couldn't see anything. It was either oil from the 12 or the 24 car. I couldn't even see the white line. Yeah, it was a good points deal, but this is a competitive team, and we wanted to win the race."

Keller fought an ill-handling car all day, then stalled his Ford on the final stop with 25 laps remaining to drop to 18th.

Prior to the Busch Series event at Kansas City two weeks back, Keller had finished among the top five in three of four events, and in the top 10 in 10 of the past 11 races.

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Following a fifth-place effort at Dover, he'd inched to within 35 points of Biffle. But after a 30th-place run at Kansas and Saturday's 18th-place effort, he may be on the outside looking in.

Third-place man Scott Wimmer had it even worse. Wimmer, the winner three weeks ago at Dover International Speedway, entered the event 345 points behind Biffle. He now trails the leader by 466 points after a broken crankshaft eliminated him from competition just 20 laps in.

Wimmer finished 43rd, but that still wasn't enough for fourth place Jack Sprague to supplant him in the point standings. Sprague finished 25th, the victim of motor trouble.

"They say you're running your absolute best before the motor lets go," Sprague said. "Don't they say that? I've heard people tell me that before. The NetZero Chevy I had out there today was the best car I've had all year.

"Right from the start of the race she never skipped a beat. We never made changes -- only took on four tires and fuel on the first two stops. Man, I can't believe it. We had a car to win today."

Sixth-place Scott Riggs?

	Jason Keller suffered his second consecutive finish outside the top 15. Credit: Autostock

As the race neared the halfway mark, the field was coursing the track under caution, coming to the green flag when Ashton Lewis had a problem with the No. 46 Chevrolet that sent him into the outside wall. Lewis' troubles triggered in a multi-car pileup that included Riggs.

"They just got together over the trying to restart," Riggs said. "Somebody turned somebody around. I was on the brakes and Ashton Lewis was right in front of me.

"It was my fault in the first place to be back that far. I came in the pits, and my foot slipped off the brake pedal. I slid through the pits and had to back up. I got all the tires changed, then had to come back in with a left rear loose lug nut. When you back in the pack like that, bad things happen. I'll take this one on my chin."

Riggs dropped from sixth to seventh in the standings.