The “Chase Across America” made a stop in Martinsville, Virginia on Tuesday, September 11th, as was the case at Sprint Cup race cities filling the schedule for the remainder of the season.
The “Chase Across America” is one, a NASCAR promotion for upcoming races for the championship. It also gets the drivers out and away from the tracks, closer to the fans and highlights their activities out of the race car.
For example, Jimmie Johnson made rounds in the Big Apple. Brad Keselowski spent some time with firefighters in Chicago. Jeff Gordon did fan Q&A in Phoenix. Drivers were all over the place with causes, fans and fanfare, including Martinsville High School which hosted Greg Biffle and Miss Sprint Cup, Kristen Beat.
The latter, for Greg Biffle, is a love for animals and a foundation working with rescue groups, spay / neuter organizations and animal abuse awareness.
Mix it all up with the “Chase” and racing and Biffle was open and cheerful with the students.
He was just as open later at the Speedway when the focus was just on racing, the “Chase” and the upcoming TUMS Fast Relief 500. The points calculations determining the position for the dozen drivers, the inclusion of a super speedway in the “Chase”, the teamwork structure to win… Even the Roush Fenway shot with himself and exiting team mate, Matt Kenseth.
He wasn’t exactly pleased that being on top coming into Richmond held no weight in points positioning coming away from there. NASCAR looks at wins to award bonus points for positioning.
He looks at Talladega as a good race and even likes running there. However, in a “Chase” championship race he thought putting the drivers in a situation in which a big accident could take a contender out of it through no fault of his own was essentially a gamble.
Biffle acknowledged, with four drivers in, that Hendrick’s teams had a potential to create teamwork situations for each other. However, Roush Fenway had similar advantages. Even if Kenseth was going to another team and owner situation for 2013, the championship for either of them would be a good thing. He did acknowledge, possibly better if it was him as he was staying. That did not, he said, make any real difference on race day. If Kenseth takes it then it is still a win for Roush Fenway and good for the company.
As for the Martinsville Speedway, he let loose a few bits for racing there, as well. For one, he likes the track but it is a challenge for him and his car. It is an intense rhythm that must be maintained. The tempers flare as cars are always touching and bumping which can break that concentration and rhythm. Accelerate, brake, turn, repeat and keep to the curb because that is where the best line is.
He also said, tongue in cheek, perhaps… that the drivers all apologize beforehand. They know they are going to bump and scrape and leave with dented metal so before they even climb in to qualify they have already spread the “sorry about that” around the garage.
Greg Biffle was leading the points charge going into Richmond. For the most part, the number of wins in the season adding points to the base, he is now fifth in championship standings with Denny Hamlin in the top spot. From the top to the bottom of the dozen contenders, the separation works out to 12 points. Any one of these twelve could take it but Greg Biffle has his eyes on it.
The problem is, so do the others. Before Martinsville there are six races. After Martinsville, there are three. By the time Biffle returns to wear his Bulldogs jersey, pre-race apologies or not, it looks like the race will be on.
