Roush, Biffle try to make up for lost time at Michigan (cont'd)

"We want to strengthen our team a little better," said Biffle, who has 11 career Cup victories and finished second in points when he won a career-high six races during the 2005 season. "We need to show up at the racetrack being competitive right off the truck. We need to compete. I didn't forget how to drive at Pocono. But we were 43rd [during practice] at Pocono before qualifying. We qualified 42nd and ran 30th. And I am not going to sign a five-year extension running like that."

He said he believes that the struggles will not continue forever.

"I'm convinced that Roush Fenway has the ability to make this a championship-caliber team," Biffle said. "We have all the tools and resources we need. We have to execute it as far as the management side of things. We have to have good people. We have to get better on the technology side."

This Sunday's race will be only Biffle's third with his current crew chief, Greg Erwin -- Biffle's third different crew chief since November of last year. More importantly, at least in the eyes of Roush and Biffle, are some other not-so-subtle changes in the Roush Fenway approach to testing and acquiring data from their new seven-post shaker rig.

Roush admitted that his operation fell behind others, particularly the Chevrolet operations of Hendrick Motorsports, Richard Childress Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing, during the past 12 months. All of those teams have done extensive Car of Tomorrow testing at non-NASCAR tracks on tires such as Hoosiers and B.F. Goodriches, and all have had the valuable seven-post shaker rigs installed in their shops for a year or more -- while Roush is only now beginning to test in the same manner and only recently purchased a seven-post shaker for his shop.

"The thing is, we're so overwhelmed right now," Biffle said. "Here, for Michigan, for instance, we didn't spend any time on the seven-post machine to try and get ready for this race, to learn about this racetrack or get ready. And I was talking to [Erwin] about it [Thursday], and he said, 'Oh well, we prioritize where we felt like we needed to work at.' And I'm like, 'Well, we're going to Michigan in about four hours. That's not priority?'

"But the reality is we've been working on the COT because we're so far behind over there. Or we feel like we are."

So while the focus is on catching up for the COT races, the reality is that they still need to improve in the current-car races, such as Michigan, as well. The risk they're running is falling behind in preparation for current-car events as they scramble to better prepare themselves for the remaining COT races.

No wonder there is no time to negotiate a contract extension for Biffle, who joked that he's no Dale Earnhardt Jr. when it comes to churning up the rumor mill on where he'll be driving for the long haul.

"My intention is not to leave. I'm not trying to figure out a way to leave," said Biffle, who qualified 14th for Sunday's race. "I'm trying to figure out a way to win and get in the Chase right now and win the championship. I'm focused on winning five races this season. That's what I'm worrying about. I'm not worried about where to go. I'm not at the Junior stage yet. The Junior stage is next year for me. Not this year."