INDIANAPOLIS — Greg Biffle’s hopes of qualifying for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup took another major blow on Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, as he pounded the turn one wall on lap 53 and went out early in the Crown Royal presents the Combat Wounded Coalition 400.
Biffle, who entered the day 23rd on the Chase Grid, 66 points behind 16th-place Dale Earnhardt Jr. (who did not compete in the event), was looking to follow up a top five effort at New Hampshire Motor Speedway one week ago with another strong run at the historic 2.5-mile oval.
It just simply wasn’t meant to be.
He was 22nd and 15th in Friday’s two practice sessions and qualified 19th, running among the back end of the top 20 for much of the day before his race came to its premature end.
“We blew a right-front tire and went straight into the fence,” Biffle said. “We were either real loose or real tight, and we just couldn’t get the balance right. We’ve just got to get them to turn a little better.”
“I don’t know what happened. The right-front went down at the end of the straightaway. That’s the worst possible place, but unfortunately it happened.”
Biffle has a combined record this season of one top five and three top 10s for Roush Fenway Racing, and is currently the lowest of his three teammates in the points standings.
He is looking to make the Chase for the eighth time and first since the 2014 season, when he finished 14th in points.
About the Writer
Jacob Seelman is the Managing Editor of Race Chaser Online and creator of the Motorsports Madness radio show, airing at 7 p.m. Eastern every Monday on the Performance Motorsports Network.
Seelman grew up in the sport, watching his grandparents co-own the RaDiUs Motorsports NASCAR Cup Series team in the 1990s.
The 22-year-old is currently studying Broadcast Journalism at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, S.C., and is also serving as the full-time tour announcer for the Must See Racing Sprint Car Series.
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