Greg Biffle was one of four Roush Racing drivers to finish in the top five. Credit: Autostock

Biffle wins series-best fifth race at Michigan

BROOKLYN, Mich. -- Greg Biffle is making winning look easy.

Biffle won for the fifth time in 15 Nextel Cup starts this season, outdueling Tony Stewart on Sunday to take the Batman Begins 400 at Michigan International Speedway.

Chase for the Cup Drivers eligible for the Chase No. Driver Pts. Behind 1. J. Johnson 2,173 -- 2. G. Biffle 2,124 -49 3. E. Sadler 1,923 -250 4. C. Edwards 1,914 -259 5. M. Martin 1,904 -269 6. T. Stewart 1,862 -311 7. R. Newman 1,856 -317 8. R. Wallace 1,848 -325 9. K. Busch 1,813 -360 10. K. Harvick 1,803 -370 11. J. McMurray 1,799 -374 BATMAN BEGINS 400 •   Results •   Standings •   Lap-by-Lap Coverage Final lapsGreg Biffle stays out late and it pays off with fifth victory Marlin's day ends earlySterling Marlin's car expires in a spin on Lap 168 Batman Begins 400Check out all the highlights from the 15th race Sign up for TrackPass now and earn Fan Miles BUY YOUR NEXTEL DRIVER PHONE

The powerful Roush Racing team, winner of the last two season championships, won its eighth race of the season. It was another strong showing for the entire team, with three of Biffle's four teammates finishing in the top five and the fifth driver, defending series champ Kurt Busch, fading to 12th after running in the top 10 throughout most of the 200-lap event.

Stewart led a race-high 97 laps but lost a strategy battle at the end.

Biffle, who led 63 laps, was running second to Stewart when he decided to stay on the track during a late caution as Stewart and several of the other lead-lap cars pitted for fresh tires with 31 laps to go. Biffle and the rest of the leaders had pitted only about a dozen laps earlier.

"It was my decision," Biffle said. "It's just so hard to pass here. I was hoping that six or eight guys would stay with us and give Tony some people to have to burn his tires off to try to catch us."

That's exactly what happened as Stewart, trying for his first win since last August at Watkins Glen, restarted eighth when the green flag waved on Lap 174. He got all the way to third by Lap 178, but it took him until Lap 198 to get past Biffle's teammate Matt Kenseth, the 2003 series champion.

"I never would have imagined that we wouldn't have got to the front with 12 laps fresher tires," Stewart said.

"They may have got us at the end, but we held our own [Sunday]," he added. "We had fresher tires at the end but, for some reason, they didn't take off the way they had all day. I probably overdrove the car to try to get to the lead again."

Roush drivers Mark Martin, Kenseth and Carl Edwards finished third through fifth, followed by Joe Nemechek, Michael Waltrip, Elliott Sadler, rookie Kyle Busch and Rusty Wallace.