Chat Transcript: Greg Biffle
May 23, 2001
12:41 PM EDT (1641 GMT)
[Nascar_Host1] Welcome to NASCAR.com's chat with Greg Biffle!
[Greg_Biffle] Hello to all the race fans out there. Thanks for coming to my chat tonight. I look forward to your questions.
[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [greg's#1] What was the biggest contributing factor to your win on Sunday?
[Greg_Biffle] The pit stop was the biggest factor. It was Randy's decision. I made the comment on lap 60 or 70 that if we could get out front, we had the car to win. I was a little too tight and it is hard to pass at Nazareth. I didn't think we would stay out, but Randy did the calculating and we elected to stay out.
[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [kmbifflefan] Greg, how does it feel to win two races so soon?
[Greg_Biffle] It feels great! One of my goals for the 2001 season was to win two races, but I also wanted to be competitive, be in the top five in points, and try to win Rookie of the Year. It has been fantastic to win these two races and we have been close to winning some other times. We have great momentum to continue on and we have a great opportunity to win more races this season.
[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [bifflefan] Any truth to the rumor that Roush Racing is planning to run a couple Winston Cup races in 2002?
[Greg_Biffle] Around September, we will probably determine what Grainger, Roush, and all the powers to be what to do about going full-time racing in Winston Cup next year. If we don't do it fulltime, we will probably run 5-7 Cup races next season.
[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [dewaltford17] Hey Greg, great job on Sunday. I was just wondering which of the Roush drivers have been the biggest help to you?
[Greg_Biffle] There are two guys that I have to give equal credit, Mark Martin and Jeff Burton. They give me a great amount of support. Jeff, being more active right now in the Busch series and testing at Charlotte for running this weekend, has been very helpful. With Mark, I talked to him about Charlotte and the track because I haven't run there before. A lot of drivers have experience there but I don't. We just want to make a good showing because it is kind of like your hometown this weekend.
[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [cinnamon] Do you think the Busch Series should have a race like Winston Cup's "The Winston"?
[Greg_Biffle] Yes, I think that would be fun to do. It would be another race on the Busch schedule, but it would be fun to do something like that, definitely.
[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [gordo] What are your thoughts going into the CARQUEST Auto Parts 300 at Lowe's this weekend?
[Greg_Biffle] I am excited to race at Lowe's Motor Speedway. I don't have a lot of experience there, but I did a radiator test there last year. It was about 75 percent speed and I just kind of drove it. I haven't tried changing a lot of things or make chassis changes.
I want to have a top-five run. I am not a real threat to win unless everything just works perfect for us. If we are fast off the trailer, if I run well, and if we make the right changes we have a chance, but the odds are kind of stacked against us because of my lack of experience there.
[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [Shawnesy] Greg, do you think you will have an advantage at Kentucky Speedway this year after winning in the trucks there last year?
[Greg_Biffle] Yes, I think a little bit. One thing that will level the playing field some will be that 99 percent of the teams have tested there 2-3 times because it wasn't on the Busch or Winston Cup schedule. We can test there because NASCAR doesn't charge the teams for a test. If it is track we don't race at, you can test there as much as you want. The Busch and Winston Cup teams went and tested generic things like shocks or sway bars. I know that Kevin Harvick tested Dale Earnhardt's car there several times. I think a lot of teams have tested there extensively.
[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [hi] Greg, on the post-race interview, Jeff Green made the comment that due to the shortened fields, slower cars are making the show and they should not be in the race. Do you agree with this?
[Greg_Biffle] To a certain degree he has a valid point. What can happen on a track like Nazareth is the speed differential can almost be dangerous. If you were going down the highway at 70 and cars were going 35 in the fast lane, that could pose a threat on coming up on them too fast and having to maneuver around them. There are places there at Nazareth that you can't pass. It is single-width wide groove. If there are more cars, the really slow ones won't get in the field. Everyone has a chance has a get in the race, but at some places like Nazareth it could be a problem. Charlotte isn't such a big deal, but at some places with only single-width racing, lap traffic can really be a factor.
[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [roush] Do you think the new rivalry in the Busch Series is Biffle vs. Harvick?
[Greg_Biffle] I think so. I guess there is a little bit of one, but the media has made it more than we have made it. You also can't count out Jeff Green or Jason Keller either. There is always going to be a rivalry between the top guys in a series, but Kevin and I have had our differences in the last couple of weeks. People can use that for a rivalry, but we are out there every week to do the best we can and I look forward to racing against all the guys.
[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [#60] Do you use any NASCAR sims to help you learn new tracks (i.e. NASCAR Racing 4 or NASCAR Heat)?
[Greg_Biffle] No, I haven't. I know a lot of people have said they are pretty realistic and some of the setups are even close, but I haven't had the time. I have some property I am developing and I am doing a lot of extra-curricular things. I haven't had the time to even watch TV at night. By the time I am done with the day's activities, I am tried. I just haven't had the time or energy to do that.
[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [fordluver] If you weren't racing, what profession would you never do?
[Greg_Biffle] Man, that is tough! I haven't really put much thought into that.
[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [mineman] Greg, with all the issues of safety now being raised, what do think is the best option?
[Greg_Biffle] I work on my cars to be the safest I can every week. Restraining the head and head injuries is the main cause of our problems. That is our biggest problem is protecting the head. That has to do with many sports dealing with speed which is why we are working on all of the safety devices.
I have worn the HANS the whole season. I had a bad wreck at Texas last year and if it weren't for the harnesses I wouldn't be here today. I still busted the steering wheel when I hit. We need to come up with some dent padding around the head to protect us. We are going 150-160 mph every weekend and if you hit a wall that fast and stop, there are going to be a lot of problems with head injuries. Protecting our head is the biggest thing.
[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [Balue3] What tape or CD do you have in your road vehicle right now?
[Greg_Biffle] Limp Bizkit and Kid Rock.
[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [djrfan8] What do you think of the aero package in Busch?
[Greg_Biffle] I think the aero package is pretty decent. I think there are still some discrepancies on the superspeedways. The Chevys are the best and the Fords are the worst. It is a product of the shape of the bodies, but overall the aero package is fairly balanced out. I am not sure what the Chevys got for this weekend, but I don't feel that anyone needs any help as far as short tracks or two-mile tracks, but at superspeedways, Ford needs some aero help. Overall, it is pretty good.
[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [Robadoo] Greg, how do you feel about your home track, Portland Speedway, ripping out the asphalt and making it a dirt track?
[Greg_Biffle] I am kind of disappointed a little bit. I respect the decision to better the racetrack and make money. He is trying to fill the stands. I don't know all the financials, but I would think that repaving the track would make more sense. I think by repaving it they could have kept the truck race there and made it a better facility. I feel that would have been the route I would go, but the World of Outlaws is a great show and that is what he was after. They will probably do just as good dirt racing out there.
[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [cardman] If you could see any body style run in NASCAR, besides the ones that are run now, which one would you choose?
[Greg_Biffle] There are a lot of European bodies that are a lot neater looking and probably create a lot more downforce, but most of them are not American made. The ones we have now are really about the best bodies as far as American-made cars. The Mustang, Camaro and Firebirds don't fit the stock car image or whatever they are looking for.
[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [addicted_to_racing] Do you think that NASCAR should put treaded tires on the cars when it rains, like Indy cars?
[Greg_Biffle] It is extremely dangerous to race in the rain on an oval track. On road racing, I agree it could be run in the rain. Oval track racing in the rain just isn't safe enough for traction.
[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [dewaltford17] Will we be seeing any new paint schemes this season on the Grainger Ford Taurus?
[Greg_Biffle] Not to my knowledge. I don't know if we are doing any special paint schemes this year. We usually don't know about them until we walk out into the shop and see that they are a different color.
[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [nascar] Congratulations on your win! What are your expectations for the rest of the season?
[Greg_Biffle] I feel that we can win a couple of more races this season. I just really want to finish in the top five and not wreck any more like I did at Richmond. If we keep focusing on the top-5, the wins will come. That is really all that we can ask for is to be in the top five and be eligible for a win. We are just really focused on the points championship the rest of the season.
[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [colby_60] Who are your toughest competitors yet this year?
[Greg_Biffle] I think the toughest competitors have been Joe Nemechek at Atlanta, Todd Bodine at a few races, Jeff Green, Jason Keller and Tony Raines at Nazareth was pretty good.
[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [GordonPrincess24] Greg, what was the hardest thing about coming from trucks to Busch?
[Greg_Biffle] I think the hardest thing was getting used to all the guys I am racing against each week. You need to get your competition figured out and learn how to race around them. Coming over was a lot easier than I expected it to be. I had problems getting the setups right the last few weeks before Nazareth, but these are new racetracks and new guys I am racing against. That has been the most difficult.
[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [biffle] What are you thoughts on the proposed racing league TRAC?
[Greg_Biffle] I don't know a lot about it. I haven't read a lot about it, and in fact someone else had to tell me about it because I didn't even see it. That shows you how out of touch I am! I don't really have an opinion on it. In a lot of ways it could be good for the sport, and in a lot of ways it could be bad, like the IRL and CART split.
[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [IanMcCray] What do you think your chances are of winning the Championship?
[Greg_Biffle] I think we have a decent chance at winning the championship. Some difficult things will be going to these new tracks with a Busch car. After a race we can put on paper all the things we did wrong and can do better next time. Beating all these veterans, and even second year guys, at your first time at it is hard. I am not going to count us out as having an opportunity to do it, but the odds are stacked against us being a first year team. That is what I am focused on and that is what I am trying to accomplish at this point in my life.
[Nascar_Host1] That's all the time Greg has for us today. Thanks, Greg! What are your final thoughts?
[Greg_Biffle] I just want to thank all the fans for your support throughout this whole season so far. I also want to thank you for your support of my new rivalry with Kevin Harvick. I will be signing autographs at the souvenir trailer out at Lowe's this weekend, as well as doing some hospitality, so I hope to see some of you out there.
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