With only four races to go in the 2008 Sprint Cup Series season, most teams, members of the media, and fans have written off the Chase, conceding the championship Jimmie Johnson. Not Greg Biffle though. Greg Biffle, and the entire #16 3M Ford team, still believe that they can catch up to Jimmie Johnson and compete for the championship. Though most people will call them foolish for believing they can catch up, Biffle and his crew are not completely out of their minds believing they can catch the Johnson and the #48 Lowes Chevy team. All they need is one bad finish by Johnson in his #48 Lowes Chevy.
As Jimmie Johnson gets closer to tying Cale Yarborough’s record for most consecutive championships (three), he has slowly begun to accept has locked up his third Sprint Cup Series championship. With six top ten finishes, including two wins, during the Chase and a 149 point lead in the standings, it is difficult argue against giving the Johnson the championship now.
Greg Biffle is not ready to hand Johnson the trophy just yet. “We’re gonna come and get them. We’ve got four more chances and we’re going to some of our best places, so they better be on their A game,” said Biffle this weekend in Martinsville. If history does indeed repeat itself, come next Monday, he may not be completely wrong.
2004 was the first year NASCAR had implemented the Chase in the Sprint Cup Series. Leaving Martinsville, the older Busch brother had five top 5 finishes, including one win, and a sixth place finish. After having a mediocre regular season, Busch was dominating the Chase and appeared to be untouchable.
Then he went to Atlanta Motor Speedway.
51 laps into Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500, Kurt Busch suffered an engine failure, relegating him to a 42nd place finish. His single poor finish allowed Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. to get within striking distance to take the championship from the driver that had the 2004 championship in the bag. By the end of the race at Homestead, Busch managed to capture the championship by eight points over Jimmie Johnson.
All it took was one single engine failure, and Busch was in reach.
Being caught up in one driver’s wreck, one mechanical failure, one speeding penalty on pit road, or one pit stop miscue by Johnson is all it would take to put Biffle, Jeff Burton, or Carl Edwards back in competition for the 2008 Sprint Cup Series championship.
Biffle and Edwards do have one thing going for them the last month of the season. Three out of the four races are at mile and a half tracks, where Roush Fenway Racing drivers have dominated. Edwards got his first career victory in Atlanta and won the race at Texas Motor Speedway in the Spring. Biffle had a solid fourth place finish in Atlanta in the spring, despite the tire trouble that plagued the race.
And you can’t forget Burton. Jeff Burton has been Mr. Consistent this season, quietly making his way up through the standings. All eyes may be on the Roush Fenway Racing teammates, but Burton is as real contender a contender as Biffle and Edwards.
All it takes is one problem by Jimmie Johnson and it can become a new Chase for the Sprint Cup.
But then again it is Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus. That team, put together by Rick Hendrick, has been able to dig itself out of any hole it is put into. Despite being inconsistent at the beginning of the season, Johnson and Knaus have figured the new car out and appear to be unstoppable.
Is Greg Biffle wrong for believing that he can catch Jimmie Johnson? Absolutely not. It is perfectly possible, as long as all the stars align and Johnson has one poor finish.
One poor finish is all it takes to turn someone’s season around.
