Roush cars falling behind in the race to master the COT (cont'd)

After Richmond, Roush Fenway has one win, nine top-fives and 17 top-10s. By way of comparison, consider the recent past:

• Through the spring Richmond race in 2003, Roush had three wins, 16 top-fives and 27 top-10s
• Through the spring Richmond race in 2004, Roush had three wins, 7 top-fives and 19 top-10s
• Through the spring Richmond race in 2005, Roush had five wins, 14 top-fives and 24 top-10s

Biffle plans to stay

Greg Biffle said Monday at Lowe's Motor Speedway that he expects to remain with Roush Fenway once his contract expires after next year.

• Complete story, click here

How the mighty have fallen. After a tumultuous 2006 that saw many internal changes, it was the considered opinion of the Track Smack boys last November that Roush would right the ship and challenge in 2007. Fate, 1. Boys of Track Smack, 0.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I have to admit that I am a bit of a Roush homer. I've been a fan ever since they teamed up with Zakspeed Racing in the '80s to win SCCA championships fielding Mercury Capris and Merkur XR4Tis. So it pains me to document this fall from grace.

Granted, this is an unusual year that has taxed teams in ways they've never been before. But for Ford's premier team, this is an unsustainable trend.

And a trend is all it will be.

There is a natural ebb and flow to driver, team and manufacturer success. Right now, the seas favor Jeff Gordon, Hendrick Motorsports and Chevrolet. But we're only 10 races into a 36-race season. And things will change.

After all, Roush Fenway Racing is one of the best funded teams in NASCAR. The level of commitment is still there, and Jack Roush knows the formula for success. You can be sure the midnight oil will continue to burn at the shop in Concord until they re-establish themselves as an omnipresent threat to win.

You can't keep a good team down forever, let alone five good teams.

The opinions expressed are solely of the writer.