Jack Roush: "I'm not disappointed. I did not expect to win the championship this year." Credit: Autostock

Powerful Roush team comes up short in Chase

HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- Hold those headlines about a Roush Racing dynasty. There is no threepeat.

It almost seemed inevitable 10 weeks ago, when NASCAR's Chase for the championship began, that Jack Roush -- who spent his first 15 seasons struggling in vain to win a Cup title -- would be rewarded with his third in a row.

Greg Biffle won the battle, but lost the war -- claiming victory at Homestead but finishing 35 points behind the the Chase. Credit: Autostock

Inside the Chase Final point standings Rank Driver Pts. Behind 1. T. Stewart 6,533 -- 2. G. Biffle 6,498 -35 3. C. Edwards 6,498 -35 4. M. Martin 6,428 -105 5. J. Johnson 6,406 -127 6. R. Newman 6,359 -174 7. M. Kenseth 6,352 -181 8. R. Wallace 6,140 -393 9. J. Mayfield 6,073 -460 10. Ku. Busch 5,974 -559 • Race results, click here • Cup standings, click here Tony takes CupTony Stewart celebrates his 2005 Nextel Cup title Final lapsGreg Biffle and Mark Martin battle to the checkered flag Ford 400Highlights from the season-ending race via TrackPass Sign up for TrackPass now BUY YOUR NEXTEL DRIVER PHONE

Half of the 10-man field for the 10-race, playoff-style format belonged to the diminutive Roush, who looked like a cinch to be king of the hill again.

NASCAR was worried enough about the team's dominance that it recently announced it will limit Cup teams to no more than four cars, beginning in 2006 -- although Roush's quintet will apparently be grandfathered in for a few more years.

Watching the end of Sunday's season-ending Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway would give anyone the impression it was Roush's year again.

His drivers crossed the finish line in a sweep of the top four positions, with Greg Biffle barely holding off Mark Martin by the length of a hood and 2003 champion Matt Kenseth and Carl Edwards close behind.

But this was not Roush's season. The title belongs to Tony Stewart -- the hottest and most consistent driver in the series since June.

Stewart did what he needed to do Sunday, running conservatively and finishing 15th. It was enough to beat Biffle and Edwards for the title by 35 points. Martin, a four-time Cup runner-up, finished fourth in the standings, and Kenseth seventh.

Kurt Busch, the 2004 champion, was probably the biggest disappointment of all the Roush drivers. Busch was suspended by the team for the final two races after a run-in with police Nov. 11 in Phoenix, wound up 10th.

Roush, the often disappointed team owner before Kenseth's title run, once suggested that NASCAR would do anything to keep him from winning a championship because he didn't always toe the party line. Even with those two titles in a row and half the Chase field, the "Cat in the Hat" went into the 2005 Chase as the ultimate pessimist.

"I think we're due some bad luck," Roush said on the eve of the Chase opener in New Hampshire.

Roush pointed out that his team had been living on borrowed time for most of three seasons, with most of the crashes and mechanical problems at the key moments happening to the other guys.

At the top of the list was last year's Homestead race. Busch lost a wheel, but caused his own caution flag, stayed on the lead lap and went on to finish fifth and beat Jimmie Johnson for the title by eight points.

"I knew that kind of luck couldn't last," Roush said, shrugging.

He was right.

While Stewart was avoiding spinning cars and showing championship consistency, each of the Roush drivers faltered at some point.

The biggest fumble came in Texas two weeks ago when Biffle -- awarded second place in the standings because he had more wins than Edwards (six to four) -- had to pit under a green flag with a loose lugnut. He lost a lap and never regained it, finishing 20th.

"I don't know if it came down to that loose wheel at Texas, but it was awful close," Biffle said. "I guess we lost about 50 points. If we'd have got a top five at Texas, that would have clinched it for us."

In a way, Roush was somewhat relieved to come up short of a third consecutive championship.

"I'm not disappointed," he said. "I did not expect to win the championship this year. I guess I would have been sitting here, if we had [won], with a little bit of embarrassment that we won three in a row. You know, how did I let Mark Martin down all those years if I could help the other guys win three times while he was still not able to do it?

"We're not supposed to win all theses races and we certainly won't win all the championships. The competition is too tough, it's too tight and there's too many risks that we can't manage. And we're all just human."

Roush pointed to the loose wheel at Texas and added, "Everybody that touches the car, puts a lugnut on or tightens a hose is going to make a mistake from time to time. You just can't make a habit of it."

And nobody has a better lineup for 2006.

Martin remains a threat to finally win a title in what he says will be his final season, the 26-year-old Edwards emerged as a star in his first full season in Cup, Kenseth remains solid and consistent and Biffle, heading into his fourth Cup season, is just getting better.

Add promising young driver Jamie McMurray, who takes the place of Busch; last year's champion replaces retiring Rusty Wallace at Penske Racing South.

"Nobody's got better minds working on their cars, nobody's got better drivers," Roush said.

Maybe there's hope for that dynasty after all.