Could 2008 be the Year of the Biff?

Biffle drives a loose race car as well as anyone on the Cup circuit, and his car control is exceptional.

2005 was the year Biffle almost made NASCAR history. After winning the Craftsman Truck series championship in 2000 and the Busch Series title in 2002, winning the Nextel Cup would have made Biffle the first driver ever to win the title in all three of NASCAR's top racing series.

He came close, too, winning a series-high six races in 2005, but losing the championship by just 35 points to Tony Stewart.

My next article about Biffle came during the 2005-2006 offseason and was titled, "Greg Biffle Optimistic Despite Failed Title Bid." In that piece, I quoted Biffle as saying:

"I can't wait for the Chase next year. I don't want to race for 26 races. I want to race the Chase again because it's so much fun."

Unfortunately for Greg and his fans, the next two seasons did not live up to that hopeful outlook. In 2006, Biffle won just two races, had six DNFs, failed to make the Chase, and finished 13th in the standings.

By March of 2007, things were not any better, leading to my next piece about him, "Will the Dark Cloud Lift Over Greg Biffle?" I discussed a number of the struggles that had plagued Greg in 2006 and the offseason, heading into 2007 - not just the many instances of bad luck and multiple mechanical issues, but several problems that took an emotional toll: The decision by Jack Roush to separate Biffle and crew chief Doug Richert in November of 2006 - a move which Biffle strongly opposed; his frightening accident in a December '06 Goodyear tire test, blowing a tire at 205 miles an hour and suffering a loss of consciousness, a concussion, and a dislocated shoulder; and the very sad passing of Biffle's friend and mentor Benny Parsons from cancer in January, 2007.

Though he soldiered on through the 2007 season, the year ended even worse than 2006. He had just one win - a controversial one at that - the Kansas race which ended under caution, with several drivers publicly questioning whether Biffle should have been credited with the win. He had five DNFs, again missed the Chase, and finished 14th in the standings.

Now comes 2008 and Greg Biffle is off to one of his best starts ever, arguably even better than that wonderful 2005 season. Though he hasn't won a race yet, his average finish over the first four races is an 8.0, including a 10th a Daytona, 15th at Fontana, third at Las Vegas, and fourth at Atlanta. He is second in the standings, just 73 points behind Kyle Busch in first. At this point in 2005, his average finish was 8.75 and he was 82 points out of first.

And here's an interesting statistic: In the first four races of 2008, Biffle leads all drivers in the "quality passes" category - passing cars in the top 15 under green.

Like I said, a wheel man.

So far, Biffle seems to have momentum on his side in '08, along with the fact that Roush-Fenway and several other teams seem to have something for the Hendrick drivers this year. "I'm really excited for all the fans watching the 16 team and cheering for us," said Biffle after finishing fourth in Atlanta on Sunday. "We've got a great run going. We're in the top 5 in points and moved up a little bit, but it's just a good top 5 run. Early in the race I didn't think we were going to be in the top 10, but the car came on at the end."

Whether 2008 will ultimately be known as the Year of the Biffster or not remains to be seen. But for Biffle and his fans, it appears the tide has finally turned.

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