Auto racing: Biffle wins second straight Chase race
By DAN GELSTON
AP Sports Writer
DOVER, Del. _ Greg Biffle made it 2-for-2 in the Chase for the championship, making another late pass — this time with nine laps to go — and holding off Matt Kenseth and Carl Edwards today.
Roush Fenway Racing teammates Biffle, Kenseth and Edwards engaged in a thrilling run over the final 20 laps at Dover International Speedway, but Biffle made another textbook move to the outside late to pull away.
Biffle, the winner last week at New Hampshire after passing Jimmie Johnson with 12 laps left, is tied for second place in the Chase points standings with Johnson. Edwards has the top spot in the standings.
"I knew deep down inside the Roush cars had something special and were going to be tough to beat," Johnson said.
Kenseth was second, and Edwards third in a wildly successful day for Roush Fenway. Kenseth had a disastrous Chase opener when an accident forced him out of the race and he entered 12th in the standings. He moved to 10th.
"The championship isn't really on my mind at this moment," Kenseth said.
Kyle Busch, the regular-season points winner, had another miserable race and a blown engine knocked him out early. He finished 43rd in the 400-mile race to drop to 12th and last in the Chase field.
"We're out of the title hunt, that's for sure," Busch said.
Up ahead for Biffle is a trip to Kansas City, a track where he won last season. While Biffle has been able to drive that No. 16 Ford into Victory Lane, he still can't maneuver into first place in the standings and trails Edwards by 10 points. The only way to catch Edwards is to keep winning races.
"I got to keep doing this," Biffle said. "I knew these guys were going to be tough."
Mark Martin was fourth and Chase drivers filled up the next five spots. Johnson was fifth followed by Kevin Harvick, Jeff Gordon, Clint Bowyer and Jeff Burton.
Michael Waltrip finished 10th.
Other Chase driver results saw Tony Stewart in 11th, Dale Earnhardt Jr. was 24th, and Denny Hamlin was 38th.