Surging Biffle wins again, makes title case

It simply doesn’t get any sweeter than this for Greg Biffle, unless of course he can hold on through the final eight races of the 2008 NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup and score his first career title.

In the meantime, Biffle has to be feeling pretty good after taking his second-straight win in the Sprint Cup Series last Sunday at Dover International Speedway – though it didn’t come easily.

The final 25 laps of the 400-lap event could easily be chalked up as the most thrilling of the 2008 season, and all of it was thanks to the Roush Fenway Racing trio of Biffle, Carl Edwards and Matt Kenseth. All three of the Fords challenged for the lead in dramatic fashion as the laps wound down until Biffle finally got the upper hand and pulled away with eight laps to go.

At the other end of the finishing order, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Kyle Busch – considered the most viable pre-Chase favorite – unbelievably had his second horrendous race in a row after suffering engine problems in the middle of the race. He finished 43rd and now sits 210 points out of the lead, 12th in the Chase standings.

Red Bull Racing drops Allmendinger

The most notable NASCAR driver change of the week involved a guy who has shown impressive improvement over his 2007 rookie season.

A.J. Allmendinger – a transfer from the ranks of open-wheel racing in 2007 – was let go from Red Bull Racing and his No. 84 Toyota ride for 2009. Former F1 driver Scott Speed is the expected replacement for Allmendinger.

Allmendinger’s on-track performance had notably increased in 2008, and especially in the season’s last ten races. In that period of time, Allmendinger has scored six Top 20 finishes, or two more than all of his 2007 season. Also, he’s only failed to qualify for three races in all of 2008 compared with 19 in 2007.

There has been no official word as to where Allmendinger will end up in 2009.
 
Dropping the green flag: Kansas
 
Race: Camping World RV 400 presented by Coleman
When: 2 p.m. Sunday (TV coverage 1:15 p.m.)
TV/Radio: ABC/105.1 FM
Location: Kansas Speedway, Kansas City, Kan.
Distance: 267 laps/400.5 miles
Track Layout: 1.5-mile D-shaped oval
2007 Winner: Greg Biffle

Miller’s Preview
Rain was the name of the game a year ago in the land of Dorothy and Toto, with Greg Biffle edging out a somewhat controversial win after NASCAR ended the race early thanks to fading daylight. Not only did Biffle nearly run out of gas before the finish, but Tony Stewart looked to be heading to victory lane when torrential rains stopped the race after the halfway point.

NASCAR opted to try and dry the track instead of call the race, and Stewart later wrecked after suffering a flat tire. You can bet he’ll be anxious to revenge the loss and take his first victory of 2008.
 
Miller’s Pick: Tony Stewart