Greg Biffle is 12th in the Nextel Cup Series points. Credit: Autostock

Chase separates field into haves, have-nots

Those in title hunt get added respect while others get less

LOUDON, N.H. -- When Greg Biffle walked through the garage on Saturday there were no television or newspaper reporters hounding him for a story or fans for an autograph.

Welcome to life outside the Chase.

Credit: Autostock

Chase for the Nextel Cup Standings Pos. Driver Behind 1. Matt Kenseth Leader 2. Jimmie Johnson -5 3. Kevin Harvick -10 4. Kyle Busch -15 5. Denny Hamlin -20 6. Dale Earnhardt Jr. -25 7. Mark Martin -30 8. Jeff Burton -35 9. Jeff Gordon -40 10. Kasey Kahne -45 The race for 11th Standings Pos. Driver Behind 11. Tony Stewart 11th 12. Greg Biffle -264 13. Carl Edwards -292 • Complete standings, click here

A year ago, Biffle arrived at New Hampshire International Speedway second in the Nextel Cup points standings behind Tony Stewart with a series-leading five wins.

His schedule, from interviews to sponsor appearances, was hectic.

Now he feels like, for the lack of a better word, nobody.

"I got up at 7:30 and every question has been about the Chase and none of it involves me,'' said Biffle, who enters Sunday's race at NHIS 12th in points.

Biffle finished second in the Chase a year ago, tied with Roush Racing teammate Carl Edwards a mere 35 points behind Stewart. All three are looking at NASCAR's playoff from the outside now, a hard pill to swallow.

"It's difficult,'' Biffle said. "When you show up at the racetrack and you know you're not gonna be competitive ... you sort of feel like a second-class citizen.''

Jeff Burton, making his first appearance in the Chase, said making NASCAR's playoff gives you a certain amount of respect that he didn't feel the past two years.

"There is no question when you aren't running well you feel a bit detached,'' he said. "I can't give you a specific example of anyone ever treating me differently. It is more internal.

"When you aren't running well, you are probably looked at as a less formidable opponent. That is what I want people to look at me as, as a driver for a team that when they unload in the garage the others know they are going to have to deal with us this week.''

Four-time champion Jeff Gordon, who is ninth entering the Chase, got a taste of that a year ago when he missed the 10-driver field.

"You don't realize how much it stings until guys are battling for the championship and you're not a part of that,'' he said. "That's why we race. That's what has kept me in it for all these years and I love being competitive out there for race wins and for championships.

"Knowing you don't even have a shot at it was pretty disappointing.''

Gordon said coming to New Hampshire was particularly tough because that's when reality set in.

"Once this week happens and all the attention goes to the top 10 guys and it's all about the championship, it's tough,'' he said. "You think, 'We should be battling for the championship and we're not.'

"Once you get past the first couple of weeks and get past that, it gets a little easier.''

Dale Earnhardt Jr., who missed the Chase a year ago, can imagine what Stewart is feeling this week.

"Tony has won his championships and he's been in this situation of being in the Chase,'' said Earnhardt, who enters the Chase sixth. "I bet in the back of his mind he makes himself feel better by sitting at home [on Thursday] while we were all in New York doing all them interviews.

"There are all kinds of ways you can talk yourself into feeling better and I'm sure that's what he's doing.''

For drivers like Biffle and Stewart, the rest of the season will be about winning and preparing for next season. Biffle said his team already has plans to shift around crew members and experiment with setups.

At the same time, he says there might be an advantage for Roush Racing having only two drivers -- points leader Matt Kenseth and Mark Martin -- in the Chase as compared to five a year ago when all were racing for every position and point he could get.

"It's more awkward now than last year because if I'm trying to pass Matt for third, which I was trying to do at the end of the first Chase race last year, we're racing like mad for position.

"I guess I would feel a little different now racing him for that position. I'm still going to, but the facts are that I'm taking a position away from him that may cost him in the championship run.''

Again, welcome to life outside the Chase.