It was after a last-place finish in the Mother’s Day weekend event when the Roush Fenway Racing driver criticized his team for a loose wheel that cost him a shot at the victory. There were no such concerns Sunday, when a recently-revamped No. 16 team turned in a series of quick, productive stops that helped Biffle win the Chase opener at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

“Spectacular,” crew chief Greg Erwin said of his team’s performance. “We’ve made some changes. The progress of the 16 pit crew has been pretty well-documented. We had one hang-up on one stop that, you know, cost us a couple of spots. But the difference is, nobody got down, because everybody knew the potential was there. We’ve seen that the last couple of weeks, as strong as we’ve been. I couldn’t be happier for everyone.”

What once seemed a handicap has suddenly emerged as a strength for Biffle, now third in Sprint Cup points after being largely eclipsed by the likes of Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards and Jimmie Johnson during the course of NASCAR’s regular season. Although Biffle passed Johnson on the racetrack with 12 laps remaining Sunday, his pit crew kept him in contention for the victory, his first since winning at Kansas last season.

That pit crew has undergone some changes in recent weeks. Team owner Jack Roush tweaked the crews of both Biffle and teammate Edwards just before the Chase, moving some of the best people from the team of Jamie McMurray — who didn’t qualify for the year-end playoff — to the No. 16 and 99 programs. He also hired a new jack man for Biffle’s team. The changes went into effect before the Aug. 31 race at California, and the results were immediate. After finishing second in the Labor Day weekend event, Biffle raved about what it was like to have a crew that allowed him to beat other drivers off pit road.

“What a phenomenal job,” Biffle said after that runner-up finish. “I feel bad. I let them down.”

Not at New Hampshire. The changes, approved by team general manager Robbie Reiser and implemented specifically for the Chase, had paid off.

“It was all Chase-related,” Erwin said. “It had been something that had been discussed between the crew chiefs and, quite honestly, Robbie Reiser, not just with the 16 team specifically, but with the three and potentially four teams we were going to have in the Chase. There were some members on the 26 car that were proven veterans. Both our team, as well as the 99, has had some issues with one guy in particular on each squad. Reiser stepped up to the plate and decided, look, this is our best foot forward. These are what we think are our most experienced under-the-gun-type players, and made the decision and allowed each of our teams to get some guys from the 26 car. It’s helped. You know, without a doubt, it’s helped.”

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Johnson stormed into the Chase for the championship by winning his second consecutive race Sunday, getting a big boost as he starts his pursuit of a third consecutive title.

The two-time defending Cup champion passed Tony Stewart and Martin Truex for the lead with 32 laps to go at Richmond International Raceway, then held off Stewart’s late challenge over the final 10 laps.

“I think this … car is going to be ready for this championship battle,” Johnson said in Victory Lane. “I think chances are high. We’re in the show and we’re going to give 100 percent and try to make history.”

Johnson is seeking to become the first driver to win three consecutive titles since Cale Yarborough (1976-78).

It was the final event before NASCAR’s 10-race title hunt begins next week in New Hampshire, and everyone had to wait a day to see which 12 drivers would make the Chase after NASCAR postponed the Saturday start because of Tropical Storm Hanna.

New Chase arrivalsDavid Ragan and Kasey Kahne were the only two drivers mathematically eligible to race their way into the Chase field. Ragan put on a gutsy push before contact with other cars ended his run with a 32nd-place finish.

Kahne finished 19th, giving the final Chase spot to Clint Bowyer.

“I drove everything I could all day,” Kahne said. “It was a long day in the pits — we came out close to last almost every time. But we were never going to beat Clint.”

The Chase field is Johnson, Stewart, Busch, Edwards, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle, Denny Hamlin, Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton and Bowyer.

Busch goes into the Chase seeded first based on his eight Cup victories this season. He had a rough day at Richmond in his final tuneup for his title run. He was wrecked by Dale Earnhardt Jr. while leading midway through the race, and was later wrecked a second time by Elliott Sadler. Busch finished 15th.

Edwards also had a long day after an early tire problem relegated him to the pack. He finished 13th but is still the second seed in the Chase based on his six previous victories. Johnson is seeded third, with four victories.

The three are the only Chase drivers with multiple victories — five of the title contenders are winless this season — and an intense fight for the championship is expected.

Among the winless drivers are Stewart and Gordon, who have never before gone this deep into the season without a victory. Stewart was visibly frustrated after failing to catch Johnson and end his 39-race winless streak.

Chase Standings
Tiebreaker is best finishes beyond race victories

Pos. Driver Points

1. Kyle Busch 5,080
2. Carl Edwards 5,050
3. Jimmie Johnson 5,040
4. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 5,010
5. Clint Bowyer 5,010
6. Denny Hamlin 5,010
7. Jeff Burton 5,010
8. Tony Stewart 5,000
9. Greg Biffle 5,000
10. Jeff Gordon 5,000
11. Kevin Harvick 5,000
12. Matt Kenseth 5,000

Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Speedway – September 14, 2008

Camping World RV 400 presented by AAA at Dover International Speedway – September 21, 2008

Kansas 400 at Kansas Speedway – September 28, 2008

Amp Energy 500 at Talladega Superspeedway – October 5, 2008

Bank of America 500 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway – October 11, 2008

TUMS QuikPak 500 Martinsville Speedway – October 19, 2008

Pep Boys Auto 500 Atlanta Motor Speedway – October 26, 2008

Dickies 500 Texas Motor Speedway – November 2, 2008

Checker O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 presented by Pennzoil Phoenix International Raceway – November 9, 2008

Ford 400 Homestead-Miami Speedway – November 16, 2008

2. (5) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 267, 115.6, 175, $251,086.

3. (13) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 267, 115.5, 165, $219,436.

4. (11) Greg Biffle, Ford, 267, 106.9, 165, $153,550.

5. (12) Tony Stewart, Toyota, 267, 120.6, 160, $164,011.

6. (15) Brian Vickers, Toyota, 267, 107, 155, $119,875.

7. (9) Matt Kenseth, Ford, 267, 103.1, 151, $152,291.

8. (14) David Ragan, Ford, 267, 97.6, 142, $114,300.

9. (19) Martin Truex Jr., Chevrolet, 267, 94.1, 143, $135,583.

10. (17) Ryan Newman, Dodge, 267, 82.6, 134, $143,400.

11. (6) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 267, 98.4, 135, $146,811.

12. (26) Elliott Sadler, Dodge, 267, 78.4, 127, $124,870.

13. (39) A.J. Allmendinger, Toyota, 267, 83.2, 124, $95,525.

14. (29) David Reutimann, Toyota, 267, 78.1, 121, $95,700.

15. (8) Kasey Kahne, Dodge, 267, 84.8, 118, $125,241.

16. (2) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 267, 73.2, 115, $101,150.

17. (16) Mark Martin, Chevrolet, 267, 84.4, 112, $126,608.

18. (22) Juan Pablo Montoya, Dodge, 267, 55.4, 109, $119,658.

19. (3) Jeff Burton, Chevrolet, 267, 62.3, 106, $132,958.

20. (38) Scott Riggs, Chevrolet, 267, 60.7, 103, $115,958.

21. (24) Jamie McMurray, Ford, 267, 76.8, 100, $98,100.

22. (10) Clint Bowyer, Chevrolet, 267, 66.3, 97, $103,750.

23. (30) Dave Blaney, Toyota, 267, 66, 94, $105,558.

24. (40) J.J. Yeley, Toyota, 267, 58.3, 91, $96,050.

25. (31) Robby Gordon, Dodge, 267, 50.4, 88, $109,708.

26. (27) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 267, 58.1, 85, $94,325.

27. (43) Jason Leffler, Chevrolet, 267, 46.6, 82, $82,725.

28. (18) Kurt Busch, Dodge, 267, 64.7, 84, $85,125.

29. (20) Bobby Labonte, Dodge, 267, 53.3, 76, $121,361.

30. (42) Patrick Carpentier, Dodge, 266, 45, 73, $83,675.

31. (32) Reed Sorenson, Dodge, 266, 34.5, 70, $108,689.

32. (4) Carl Edwards, Ford, 266, 98.4, 72, $128,700.

33. (25) Casey Mears, Chevrolet, 266, 37.9, 64, $100,025.

34. (33) Regan Smith, Chevrolet, 266, 38.4, 61, $88,875.

35. (37) Bill Elliott, Ford, 266, 31.3, 58, $98,995.

36. (28) Michael Waltrip, Toyota, 265, 37.8, 55, $92,108.

37. (35) Sam Hornish Jr., Dodge, 264, 40, 52, $125,800.

38. (36) Terry Labonte, Dodge, 264, 27.6, 49, $89,547.

39. (41) Joe Nemechek, Chevrolet, 264, 28.7, 46, $79,800.

40. (7) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 263, 73, 43, $114,571.

41. (21) Travis Kvapil, Ford, 261, 58.3, 40, $106,594.

42. (23) David Gilliland, Ford, engine, 259, 42.5, 37, $79,210.

43. (34) Michael McDowell, Toyota, 259, 25.9, 34, $79,377.

Race Statistics

Average Speed of Race Winner: 133.996 mph.

Time of Race: 2 hours, 59 minutes, 20 seconds.

Margin of Victory: 0.159 seconds.

Caution Flags: 9 for 33 laps.

Lead Changes: 16 among 10 drivers.

Lap Leaders: Kyle Busch 1-43; C.Edwards 44-49; J.Gordon 50-55; G.Biffle 56-91; B.Vickers 92; T.Stewart 93-103; M.Truex Jr. 104-105; G.Biffle 106-112; B.Vickers 113; M.Kenseth 114-120; Kyle Busch 121-202; C.Edwards 203-211; Kyle Busch 212-227; Kurt Busch 228; Kyle Busch 229-250; J.Johnson 251-265; Kyle Busch 266-267.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Led, Laps Led): Kyle Busch, 5 times for 165 laps; G.Biffle, 2 times for 43 laps; J.Johnson, 1 time for 15 laps; C.Edwards, 2 times for 15 laps; T.Stewart, 1 time for 11 laps; M.Kenseth, 1 time for 7 laps; J.Gordon, 1 time for 6 laps; B.Vickers, 2 times for 2 laps; M.Truex Jr., 1 time for 2 laps; Kurt Busch, 1 time for 1 lap.

Top 12 in Points: 1. Kyle Busch, 2,881; 2. D.Earnhardt Jr., 2,619; 3. J.Burton, 2,590; 4. C.Edwards, 2,509; 5. J.Johnson, 2,494; 6. J.Gordon, 2,384; 7. G.Biffle, 2,318; 8. M.Kenseth, 2,317; 9. K.Harvick, 2,308; 10. T.Stewart, 2,305; 11. K.Kahne, 2,295; 12. D.Hamlin, 2,283.

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Allstate 400 at The Brickyard at Indianapolis Motor Speedway – July 27, 2008

Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono – August 3, 2008

Centurion Boats at The Glen – August 10, 2008

3M Performance 400 at Michigan International Speedway – August 17, 2008

Sharpie 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway – August 23, 2008

Pepsi 500 at Auto Club Speedway – August 31, 2008

Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond International Raceway – September 6, 2008

Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Speedway – September 14, 2008

Dover 400 at Dover International Speedway – September 21, 2008

Kansas 400 at Kansas Speedway – September 28, 2008

Amp Energy 500 at Talladega Superspeedway – October 5, 2008

“I can’t believe we’re here,” Busch, 23, said in a televised interview after the race. “We didn’t have the best car here tonight.” The win extends Busch’s lead in the Sprint Cup Series to 182 points over second-place Dale Earnhardt Jr., who finished eighth in the race. It was the Las Vegas driver’s sixth win of the year and the 10th of his Sprint Cup Series career. Busch finished second in the last two July races at Daytona.

Matt Kenseth finished third, Kurt Busch was fourth in a Dodge Charger and David Ragan rounded out the top five. Earnhardt had the top-finishing Chevrolet Impala. A wreck on lap 157 involving seven cars, including last year’s champion Jimmie Johnson, prompted Nascar officials to extend the race for two extra laps. Under Nascar rules, one attempt is made to finish the race under green. The race ran 162 laps, two more circuits of the 2.5-mile (4.02-kilometer) Florida oval than planned.
During the last extra lap, a multiple-car wreck in the back of the field that involved Michael Waltrip, Sam Hornish Jr., Dave Blaney and others gave Busch the victory.

“I hate to lose that thing like that,” second-place finisher Edwards said. “Congrats to Kyle and those guys. I did everything I could.”

J.J. Yeley, who failed to qualify for the race, replaced Tony Stewart, who got out of his Camry because he was ill. The two-time champion was being treated for flu-like systems at the track hospital. Stewart had run as high as third before switching with Yeley on lap 72. Yeley finished 23rd. Jeff Burton fell one spot in the Sprint Cup Series standings to third place. Edwards and defending champion Jimmie Johnson remained in fourth and fifth respectively.

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