WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. -- It's no secret that Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle haven't had a lot of Cup success in the past at Watkins Glen International, but that doesn't necessarily guarantee that they'll find themselves outside of the top 12 after Sunday's race.

Kenseth has three top-10s in nine previous Watkins Glen starts, with a best finish of eighth. After failing to crack the top 25 in his first four visits, Biffle ran 10th in 2007, but faded to 21st one year ago. Still, both drivers know that anything can, and probably will, happen in 90 laps around the 2.45-mile course.

Kenseth is 11th in the standings, just one point ahead of Roush Fenway Racing teammate Biffle. So there may be more pressure to perform at a track that doesn't play into either driver's strengths, especially when Kyle Busch -- who won here last year -- is 13th.

For Kenseth, there will be constant pressure between now and Richmond -- and his goal is getting the best finish he can every week. That may be more difficult now that he'll roll off 42nd after a lap of 119.856 mph. Compare that to Biffle, who posted the seventh-quickest speed (122.519 mph), one position better than Busch (122.514 mph).

"That's what we always try to do, really, and even though we're close to the cutoff, I don't really think there's anything we can do different," Kenseth said. "Actually, the last two weeks, we got 10th and 11th. That's the best we've done, really, in a long time.

"To our standards, that's not near good enough, but that's the best we've done in a long time. We've just got to keep trying to build on that. If we could run in the top 10 and finish in the top 10, we'll probably be close to making it. But, if you look at last week, all he guys that are fighting for it were right up there, with the exception of one or two."

For Biffle, Sunday's race is a matter of running hard but being around at the finish.

"We're certainly not racing conservatively, we're racing to win," Biffle said. "But we're not going to do anything stupid. Certainly, we're racing to win, and try to stay on the course, not hurt our car. I raced Kyle for position all race at Pocono, we were around each other all day -- we ended up beating him at the end, but only by one spot. We know we have to stay in front of those guys. It's tight back there, and we're doing all we can do.

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We're certainly not racing conservatively, we're racing to win. But we're not going to do anything stupid.

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-- GREG BIFFLE

"... Our first priority is finishing, not hurting any parts of the car, the brakes and the gearbox and things like that. And then, secondly, track position is everything here."

When it comes to the two road courses on the Cup schedule, Kenseth said they're as different as night and day.

"I always compare Sonoma to Martinsville, and Watkins Glen to Michigan," Kenseth said. "It's just a lot faster of a road course -- you've got a lot more momentum, a lot more room to work, a little bit more room for error, probably one more passing zone, at least, than there is at Sears Point. I think this track is a lot more friendly for these types of cars, and has the potential to put on a lot better race."

Biffle agreed, saying the "bus stop" chicane presents a risk-reward situation.

"A lot of passing can take place there, but you've got to be careful getting through there as well," Biffle said. "You can get off the track easy. That's an important part of this race track. A lot of passing takes place there."

This has been a topsy-turvy season for Kenseth, who won the first two races of the season and has struggled with consistency every since. That's been the primary focus of the team in recent weeks, especially from the technical side.

"We've just got to keep working on it," Kenseth said. "It starts with engineering. These cars are a lot different than our old cars, more technical, with the bump stops and the things that they let us run. And there's not a lot we can do aero-wise or any of that. So, it starts with engineering. I know they have been working really hard trying to find some stuff to make us run better. But, as a group, we just haven't run as good."

If there's a silver lining, it's that both drivers are usually very good at Michigan, the next stop on the schedule. And if they're still battling for a spot in the Chase at Richmond, Biffle believes it'll be a heck of a shootout.

"The good part about it is -- if there is a good part -- is Matt and I are both in the Chase right now, so it's not he's 13th and I'm 12th or vice-versa and we're fighting for the last spot, so ultimately it could come down to that at the end," he said. "Matt and I race very good together. We're trying to be as courteous as we can on the race track to each other, but we also know that it may come down to one of us not being in it. I hope that's not the case, though."