Biffle thinks he is heading in right direction to compete in Chase

GREG BIFFLE picked the perfect time to win his first Sprint Cup race of the year. Biffle's first-place finish Sunday at Michigan was Ford's 1,000th victory in NASCAR's top three series.

"It's really exciting to see all that racing heritage, and to be able to be a part of that with the 1,000th win," said Biffle, a former Nationwide and trucks series champion. "I think I contributed over 50 of those, which is a small number compared to 1,000, but I'm still sure excited to be the number 1,000."

Referring to the Hendrick and Joe Gibbs Racing cars, Biffle said, "We're continuing to really, really gain on those guys. We love where we're at right now. We're starting to figure out some areas that have gotten us a little bit of speed.

"The next 10 weeks will tell the tale. It seems we're really ramping up our program, and that bodes well for if we make the Chase, having some momentum heading into the Chase, vs. last year [when] we're leading the points the whole way, and four, five, six races before the Chase we weren't that strong."

Biffle is eighth in points with the No. 16 Ford. In 10 starts at Sonoma, Calif., he has four top-10 finishes, including two top-fives.

During the Michigan race, Biffle had an issue with Roush Fenway teammate Carl Edwards. On Lap 70, Edwards wanted Biffle to drop back and use the air off his car to help clean paper off the grille of Edwards' car that was causing overheating. Biffle said his spotter never informed him of Edwards' request.

Following the race, it was thought Edwards wanted Biffle to drop back with about 40 laps to go. Since Biffle was leading then, that would be unreasonable.

"I can see where [Edwards] would be upset [if Biffle didn't accommodate his teammate]," Biffle told Espn.com. "All I can say is, I'll help Carl any time I can."

Edwards remembers how Biffle helped him during the Chase race at Talladega 2 years ago by staying with Edwards in the back of the pack and then pushed him to an 11th-place finish. Edwards eventually was edged by Tony Stewart for the title.

"He stuck with me at Talladega more than I would ever expect any driver to stick with me," Edwards said.

With Sunday's Cup race at Sonoma, Calif. it's time for "road warriors" such as Jacques Villeneuve and Boris Said to appear. However, Biffle thinks their road-racing experience doesn't have as much influence anymore.

"I think that two things have happened," he said. "One, the car technology has gotten much better, so the cars are much better and the driver cannot make up as much difference using that skill set he has for road racing only.

"I think the cars are so good now and the drivers have come around to road racing a little better. Those are some of the reasons why everybody is so competitive, and, in fact, we see oval track guys like Clint Bowyer and myself and others that run really good at road course races, and the road course ringers don't seem to do as well anymore."

Bowyer won last year's Sonoma race.

As we learned again last weekend, reigning Sprint Cup champion Brad Keselowski isn't shy about speaking out. He said Rich Hendrick and Joe Gibbs Racing raided Ford teams for personnel and the information they bring.

Firing back, Hendrick told USA Today Keselowski was "misinformed." Hendrick said his organization hired one tire changer, a mechanic and "a few people" when the Penske Racing engine shop closed.

Then Hendrick said, "Brad misrepresents the facts and spends a lot of time making insinuations and accusations about other teams when he should be focused on his own program. I hope he begins representing himself and the sport with more class."

Ouch! You don't want to have the benevolent but powerful Rick Hendrick angry at you when you are racing in the Sprint Cup series. Roger Penske also said Keselowski was misinformed.

Crew members frequently switch teams when offered better opportunities.

My prediction for Dale Earnhardt Jr. getting his first win since Michigan a year ago looked good for a while Sunday. He led 34 laps (second highest) before the engine on his No. 88 Chevrolet expired.

Drivers Kasey Kahne, Brad Keselowski and Greg Biffle and team owner Chip Ganassi were among more than 800 people who attended the funeral for driver Jason Leffler in Cornelius, N.C.

Leffler. 37, was killed a week ago when his sprint car crashed into a wall at Bridgeport Speedway in Logan Township, Gloucester County. He won two Nationwide Series races during his NASCAR career.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.