Roush cars falling behind in the race to master the COT

When Hendrick cars came home 1-2-4 on Sunday, I don't suspect many people were all that surprised. Upset perhaps, but not surprised. High on that list has to be Richard Childress Racing and Penske Racing. Both of those organizations had a car capable of winning only to lose their chances for victory in the pits.

It's one thing to be on the cusp of victory only to have a single link in the chain be the reason for defeat. It's another thing entirely to never really have the opportunity to win in the first place, which is, I suspect, how the Ford contingent must have felt deep in their gut going into Sunday.

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You can point the finger at Chevrolet and rightly proclaim it's running away with the season. You could also point the finger at Dodge, Toyota and Ford and rightly proclaim they're underperforming. But I'm not convinced this deficit is a manufacturer thing.

NASCAR's current rules package has taken away many of the elements that in the past has contributed to a systemic advantage for one manufacturer over another, mostly aerodynamic. Mind you, these changes came as the result of manufacturers and teams lobbying NASCAR for redress.

So now that the bed has been made, it's time for the teams to lie down on it. Hendrick Motorsports are clearly prepared. To a lesser degree, so are Richard Childress Racing, Joe Gibbs Racing and Penske.

Conspicuously missing from this list is Ford's standard bearer, Roush Fenway Racing. For evidence, all you have to do is look at their results from this weekend's race. It ain't pretty:

(Names and car numbers have been omitted in an effort not to pile-on.)

• Finish positions: 10th, 12th, 19th, 20th and 41st
• Laps led: three out of 400 possible
• Fastest laps: 19

The frustration is starting to show. "I feel like we've got 20th-place cars or so and we're just getting good pit stops and calling the race good and not getting in accidents and finishing 10th with them," said Matt Kenseth after the race Sunday. "We've got a long ways to go with these cars. I don't know. We just can't keep up."

This is not just a Car of Tomorrow thing, either.

Despite Matt Kenseth's lone victory at California and third place in driver standings, the season-to-date stats for Roush Fenway's five teams are not encouraging:

• Average finishing position: 8.7, 17.1, 18.5, 20.5, 24.9
• Laps led: 184 out of 3,286 possible
• Fastest laps: 243

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.

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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.