Biffle leads Roush Fenway qualifying assault at Texas

Biffle leads Roush Fenway qualifying assault at Texas

 

By Reid Spencer
Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

 

(November 4, 2011)

 

FORT WORTH, Texas—In the slugfest between Tony Stewart and Carl Edwards, Stewart won Round 1 on Friday, but it was Greg Biffle who led a Roush Fenway Racing Ford sweep of the top three starting spots at Texas Motor Speedway, an assault that didn’t include Edwards.

 

Stewart and Edwards, the top two drivers in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings, will start fifth and seventh, respectively in the seventh Chase race, after Biffle, the last driver to make a qualifying attempt, scorched the 1.5-mile track with a lap at 193.736 mph to edge teammate David Ragan (193.729 mph) for the top starting spot in Sunday’s AAA Texas 500.

 

The Coors Light pole award was Biffle’s third of the season and the ninth of his career.

 

Matt Kenseth qualified third at 193.659 mph. Paul Menard (193.437 mph) was fourth, followed by Stewart (193.257 mph), who trails Edwards by eight points with three races left in the season.

 

Edwards will take the green flag one position behind David Reutimann, who learned this week he would be released from his ride in the No. 00 Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota at the end of the season. Brad Keselowski, fourth in the standings and 27 points behind Edwards, will start eighth.

 

Biffle, who won six poles in his previous nine years in Cup races, credited new crew chief Matt Puccia and NASCAR’s new system for determining qualifying order with his improved qualifying efforts this season.

 

“Ever since Matt came on board (in July), we have put a little more emphasis on qualifying,” Biffle said. “The draw for qualifying goes off of practice speeds. It kind of forced our hand to come here on Friday and start in qualifying trim, which we never (did before).

 

“The rules have forced us into getting a good draw for qualifying, so it’s up to us (rather than by random draw). I made a total of seven laps today—now eight. That’s all I’ve done today.”

 

Edwards, who thought he had a shot at the pole, was disappointed with his lap. Loose coming to the green, Edwards ran conservatively in a lap he called perhaps “too timid.”

 

“The Fords are so great here, and Jack Roush’s Fords run so well,” Edwards said. “I’m the odd man out there. I got shown up by my teammates pretty bad, but hopefully we’ll have a good, solid race.”

 

Stewart, on the other hand, was pleased with his starting spot.

 

“To be third in practice and top five in qualifying, that is exactly the way you have to start the weekend off,” Stewart said. “We’ll get a pretty good pit spot out of this, hopefully.

 

“We’re not having to fight through all the crowd to get up there (to the front). We’re going to be up there, hopefully all day, and just keep tweaking on it versus having to get there.”

 

Kevin Harvick, third in the standings and 21 points behind Edwards, will start 21st.

 

David Stremme, David Starr and Reed Sorenson failed to qualify for the 43-car field.